THE National Irrigation Authority (NIA) received the majority of the funds from the national government in May.

This, as 29 government-owned and -controlled businesses received P7.90 billion in financing for the month, down 82.31 percent from P44.68 billion in May 2021, according to Bureau of the Treasury data.

The country’s irrigation development and management agency, NIA, received P6.26 billion in May this year.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines came in second with P400 million, followed by the Small Business Corp. with P200 million.

During the month, the Local Water Utilities Administration, Light Rail Transit Authority, Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine National Railways, Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Credit Information Corp., Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, Development Academy of the Philippines, Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp., Lung Center of the Philippines, National Dairy Authority, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Coconut Authority, and the Philippine Center for Economic Development also received assistance.

The same goes for the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care, Philippine Postal Corp., Philippine Rice Research Institute, Philippine Tobacco Administration, People’s Television Network Inc., Southern Philippines Development Authority, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, and the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority.

Over the course of the first five months of this year, the government spent P32.29 billion on subsidies.

The NIA was the recipient of the largest subsidy of P15.26 billion during the period. The National Food Authority came in second with P3.24 billion, followed by the National Housing Authority with P3.19 billion.

Forty-two government-owned enterprises received P184.76 billion in subsidies from the government in 2021, a 19.32-percent decline from P229.01 billion in 2020.