THE national government increased its subsidies for health and education but cut its support for transportation and storage in 2017, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Based on final results of the 2017 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI), the PSA said education subsidies increased 29.5 percent, while health increased 17.1 percent.
In the transportation and storage sector, the national government reduced its subsidies by 4 percent, according to the PSA.
“Subsidies are special grants in the form of financial assistance or tax exemption or tax privilege given by the government to aid and develop an industry,” the PSA explained.
The PSA said total subsidies for the education sector increased to P3.7 billion in 2017. The subsidies were composed of grants to secondary or high-school education, primary education, higher education, other education services and preprimary education.
Data showed subsidies for high- school education reached P2.11 billion, which accounted for 56.5 percent of the total subsidies for the sector.
The second-highest subsidy in the sector went to higher education worth P1.15 billion, or 30.97 percent of the total.
The rest of the subsidy was spent for primary or elementary education worth P252.625 million; other education support services, P212.159; and preprimary education, P1.589 million.
Meanwhile, in terms of health, the total subsidies received by the sector reached P132.9 million in 2017, higher than the P113.5 million subsidies in 2016.
Hospital activities received more than half of the total subsidies granted by the government worth P79.5 million, or 59.8 percent of the total.
Other social work activities without accommodation or not elsewhere classified (NEC) followed, receiving P45.4 million or 34.1 percent of the subsidy.
The rest of the subsidies went to other residential care activities NEC worth P5.789 million; social work activities without accommodation for the elderly and disabled, P1.8 million; and residential care activities for the elderly and disabled, P450,000.
In terms of transportation and storage, PSA data showed total subsidies granted by the government for the sector totaled P9.2 billion in 2017, a 4-percent contraction from the P9.5 billion subsidy in 2016.
Transport via railways received the highest subsidy of P8.6 billion, or 94 percent of the total.
The other industries that received subsidies in 2017 were sea and coastal water transport, P11.6 million; support activities for transportation, P2.4 million; and, warehousing and storage, P233,000.