NFA, NIA among biggest end-Jan recipients
National government subsidies to government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) amounted to P4.385 billion in January 2025, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) reported on Tuesday.
No subsidies were released to GOCCs during the same period last year because subsidy disbursements for 2024 began only in February that year.
BTr data showed that in February last year, the government released P12.715 billion in GOCC subsidies, the bulk of which also went to NIA (P7.093 billion) and NFA (P2.25 billion).
Data available on the BTr website yesterday showed that the National Food Authority (NFA), which received P2.25 billion, and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), with P1.085 billion, were the billionaire recipients of subsidies on record in January this year.
According to a ranking official who declined to be named, it may be due to a difference in the “timing” of releases.
The official added that historically, the month of January had minimal releases of subsidies.
John Paolo Rivera, a senior research fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, said the subsidies provided to the NFA and NIA in January 2025 underscore the government’s focus on food security and agriculture.
“The fact that no subsidies were released in January 2024 suggests that the government may be frontloading support in response to current economic conditions, possibly due to food inflation risks, agricultural supply constraints, or efforts to stabilize rice prices,” Rivera said.
Rivera said NFA’s subsidy could be tied to buffer stock financing and ensuring adequate rice reserves, while NIA’s support aligns with irrigation and climate-resilient agricultural infrastructure projects.
“While direct subsidies help stabilize key sectors, longer-term solutions such as improving farm productivity, modernizing irrigation systems, and enhancing market efficiency may offer more sustainable alternatives than periodic government assistance,” Rivera said.
Malaya Business Insight sought further comments from the Department of Budget and Management on the GOCC subsidy releases, but has yet to receive an official response as of press time.
