Biggest gov’t subsidy goes to…

Subsidies given away by the national government to state-run firms last year hit a record P103.19 billion, with over two-fifths of the amount received by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), the latest Bureau of the Treasury data showed.

The subsidies to government-owned and/or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) in 2016 were higher than 2015’s P78.013 billion. It also exceeded the previous high of P80.44 billion in 2014.

PhilHealth, which administers the National Health Insurance Program, was granted the bulk of subsidies amounting to P43.776 billion. Latest data showed that in 2016, PhilHealth had over 41.2 million members with nearly 52.2 million dependents, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 91 percent of the population.

Last year, government financial institutions received a total of P750 million in subsidies; major nonfinancial government corporations, P39.767 billion; and other government corporations, P62.673 billion.

Other top recipients were the National Irrigation Administration (P16.909 billion); National Housing Authority (P12.04 billion); Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (P3.361 billion); and National Electrification Administration (P3.146 billion). —BEN O. DE VERA