NFA biggest subsidy recipient in October

The National Food Authority (NFA) received the biggest amount of subsidy from the national government among state-run corporations in October, the latest Bureau of the Treasury data showed.

Last October, the NFA got P2.77 billion in subsidies, followed by Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) with P2.657 billion and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) with P483 million.

Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law signed by President Duterte in February took away the NFA’s commercial functions and regulatory powers, retaining only its emergency buffer-stocking mandate.

In October alone, subsidies extended to government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) reached P7.24 billion, jumping from P1.55 billion during the same month last year.

For the 10 months to October, total GOCC subsidies amounted P158.74 billion, up from P126.38 billion a year ago.

During the first 10 months, the top recipient of subsidies among GOCCs was PhilHealth with P61.56 billion.

Starting next year, PhilHealth will implement the universal health care program even as the Inquirer reported last June that the agency since 2013 lost P154 billion from scams, including fake members, ghost patients, ghost dialysis treatments, overpayment of hospitals, as well as padding and “upcasing” of claims. INQ