MANILA, Philippines—The national government gave more subsidies to government corporations than programmed in the first quarter, according to the latest report of the Bureau of the Treasury.

The subsidies to government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) reached P2.1 billion in the quarter as against P1.65 billion programmed for the period, and reached P974 million in March from P346 million in February, the report shows.

About 54 percent of the first-quarter total went to the 13 major non-financial government corporations being monitored by the Department of Finance, the report says. The 13 include the National Food Authority, the government’s importer and trader of rice.

For the full year, the government hopes to put a cap on the direct subsidies to GOCCs at P10 billion—half of the disbursements last year despite more difficult conditions brought on by surging rice prices.

According to a fiscal program to be submitted by the Department of Finance to the inter-agency Development Budget Coordination Committee, quarterly subsidies should be kept at no more than P2.83 billion in the second to the fourth quarter. Doris C. Dumlao; edited by INQUIRER.net