The national government has disbursed subsidies to various agencies amounting to P131 billion for 2017, with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) receiving the highest subsidy of P47.19 billion for the year.
Based on the latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury, the government’s 2017 subsidy disbursement surged 27.02 percent, from P103.19 billion disbursed in 2016.
Broken down, government financial institutions were allotted P1 billion, major nonfinancial government corporations accounted for P60.30 billion and government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) were given P69.78 billion.
The biggest GOCC that received the biggest amount in terms of subsidy is PhilHealth, amounting to P47.19 billion, which was 7.81 percent higher than the P43.77 billion it
received in 2016.
The National Irrigation Administration followed PhilHealth, with total subsidies for the year amounting to P30.16 billion, or 78.46 percent more than the P16.90 billion the agency received in 2016.
The National Housing Authority came in third, with subsidies reaching P19.55 billion, which was 62.37 percent more than its 2016 allotment of P12.04 billion.
Other GOCCs provided subsidies for the year include: the National Food Authority with P5.10 billion; Manila International Airport Authority, P3.61 billion; Philippine Economic Zone Authority, P2.80 billion; Philippine Crop Insurance Corp., P2.50 billion; Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, P2.17 billion; and the National Electrification Administration with P2.05 billion.
The Duterte administration seeks to complete its 10-point socioeconomic agenda, which aims to alleviate poverty in the country and improve the social welfare of Filipinos. The agenda includes investing in human-capital development, including health and education, and improving social protection programs, including the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer Program, to protect the poor against instability and economic shocks.