Govt subsidies to GOCCs bigger in 2020

THE national government forwarded higher subsidies to staterun firms last year compared to what it provided for them in 2019, data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed over the weekend.

Forty-three government-owned firms secured P230.41 billion in 2020, a 14.33-percent surge from the P201.52 billion in 2019.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) accounted for the bulk, or P62.39 billion, of total subsidies last year. PhilHealth is responsible for administering the country’s health insurance program, particularly the Universal Health Care program that aims to provide Filipino families equitable access to quality and affordable health care services.

Under the expired Republic

Act 11469, or the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act” (Bayanihan 1), the state-run firm is also tasked to shoulder all medical expenses of public and private health workers in case of exposure to coronavirus disease 2019, or any work-related injury or disease during the duration of the pandemic.

Last year, PhilHealth’s former anti-fraud officer claimed that some P15 billion were stolen from the agency by some of its officials through various schemes.

Amid the alleged corruption in the agency, the then PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales resigned from his post, citing health reasons. He was replaced by former National Bureau of Investigation director Dante Gierran.

At a recent Senate hearing, Gierran said 95 percent of the “stolen” funds have been actually liquidated and not missing.

Meanwhile, the Treasury data also revealed that the Social Security System (SSS) came in second with P51 billion, and National Irrigation Administration (NIA) with P33.67 billion.

It should be noted that SSS was the implementing agency of the P51-billion Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) program.

Launched in April last year, the SBWS program provided 3.1 million workers in the formal sector employed in micro, small and medium enterprises P5,000 to P8,000 wage subsidies for the month of April and May. The amount of the subsidies depends on the regions where the workers are employed.

NIA, on the other hand, is responsible for irrigation development and management in the country.