Photos of automobiles submerged in flood water or deep in mud sent out some of the most vivid and strongest images of the tragedy that was Ondoy. In times like these, car owners would wish they forked over those extra pesos to pay for Acts of God (AOG) coverages. AOG covers natural disasters like flood, typhoons, hurricane, volcanic eruption and earthquake.

Mia Yabut, general manager of Pink Wheels, the only car insurance company in the country that exclusively caters to the female consumer market, explained that while most Filipinos prefer the standard coverage of comprehensive insurance, recent developments brought about by tropical storm Ondoy have opened the eyes of car owners to really understand their insurance policies to the letter, and get better coverages to protect themselves.

“The standard coverage of comprehensive insurance includes own damage, theft, third party liability, bodily injury and property damage. This does not cover AOGs like the recent typhoon,” she said.

Yabut said additional AOG cover costs about 0.5 to 0.7 percent of the sum insured, a little amount indeed to compare with about P150,000, the estimated cost of having a flood-submerged car fixed.

A P1 million brand new car, for instance, would require an additional P5,000 to P7,000 for AOG coverage, over and above the P25,000 to P30,000 comprehensive insurance, Yabut said. She added that all insurable cars, not older than 10 years old, may be covered by AOG.

Pink Wheels is a subsidiary of UCPB.