SUBSIDIES extended by the national government to state-run entities grew 28.06 percent in September with most of the subsidies going to housing-related and agriculture-related agencies.
Data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed that subsidies extended by the national government reached P9.16 billion in 2021, higher than the P7.15 billion recorded in 2020.
Of the subsidies extended by the national government, the National Housing Authority (NHA), Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) and National Irrigation Administration (NIA) accounted for the largest share.
The NHA received subsidies in the order of P3.025 billion, the second highest it received for the year; the PCIC P2.243 billion, the highest it received this year; and, the NIA P2.198 billion, the lowest it received in 2021.
Subsidies extended by the national government between January and September this year contracted 8.12 percent to P145.875 billion in 2021 from P158.763 billion last year.
The state corporation that accounted for the largest share of this amount was the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), which received a total of P76.063 billion in the January to September period.
This was followed by the NIA, which received a total of P27.807 billion as of September this year and NHA with P14.834 billion during the period.
The national government provides subsidies to government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) to fund operations not covered by the corporate revenues or to finance specific programs or projects.
Last year, the national government spent a total of P229.02 billion in subsidies to GOCCs, the highest since 1986 when the government started collecting data. PhilHealth cornered the biggest allocation, receiving P62.4 billion or 27.25 percent of the total subsidies released during the period.