The Pioneer Group has partnered with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to provide Philippine athletes, coaches, trainers, and technical staff with group personal accident insurance for the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games currently being in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Pioneer Inc. president and CEO Lorenzo Chan Jr. and Pioneer Insurance president and CEO Betty Medialdea signed a memorandum of agreement with PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez in February, naming Pioneer as the official insurance partner of national athletes and coaches in the next few years.
Pioneer is providing a year-round Group Personal Accident with Accident Medical Expense insurance to over 1,300 national athletes and coaches. The insurer is covering the entire Philippine delegation of athletes, technical officials, PSC representatives and staff participating in the 31st SEA Games.
“This partnership represents another significant milestone for Pioneer. After a three-year break (2018 to 2021), we are excited to once again be of service to our country through the field of sports. We want to ensure our athletes, coaches, and trainers representing the Philippine National Team are properly covered,” Chan said.
Pioneer’s involvement in the world of sports can be traced back to the 1975 Thrilla in Manila heavyweight boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, wherein it provided personal accident insurance as well as third party liability coverage.
One of its most significant contributions in sports occurred in 1991 when it was designated as the exclusive insurer for the Manila SEA Games. It was during this time when Pioneer provided P720 million worth of group personal accident coverage to participating athletes, officials and sportswriters from nine countries.
“Rooted in our belief that insurance has a role to play in the protection of life and what matters, we strive to offer insurance that is relevant, accessible, affordable, easy to comprehend and simple to claim. Our dream is that no one in this country of close to 110 million will be left behind. While it is true not every insurance can provide all the coverage one may need, appropriate insurance enables one to restart and rebuild after each setback,” Chan added.
For his part, Ramirez thanked the Pioneer Group for extending a hand to national athletes competing in the 31st SEA Games.
“It is very important that when they compete, they are confident that they are covered whatever happens,” Ramirez said.
