ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Banking & Finance devider PhilHealth to receive biggest subsidy among state firms in 2026

PhilHealth to receive biggest subsidy among state firms in 2026

Published Sep 9, 2025 03:06 pm

At A Glance

  • State health insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), which received zero subsidies this year, is proposed to have the highest allocation at ₱53.3 billion under the 2026 national budget.
State-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), which received zero subsidies this year, is proposed to have the highest allocation under the proposed ₱6.793-trillion 2026 national budget.
During a Senate finance committee hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 9, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) proposed to restore PhilHealth’s subsidy at ₱53.3 billion, overtaking the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the top subsidy recipient in 2025.
DBM Assistant Secretary Mary Anne Z. Dela Vega, who heads the budget preparation and execution group, told senators that the increase is attributed to the “provision of annual insurance premiums for indigent beneficiaries.”
Notably, the DBM proposed to slash NIA’s subsidies by ₱24.3 billion, or 35 percent, to ₱45.1 billion in 2026 from this year’s ₱69.4-billion allocation. The rationale behind this cut was not disclosed.
Despite implementing the ₱20-per-kilo rice program this year through subsidies to the National Food Authority (NFA), the DBM has proposed to cut NFA’s subsidy by ₱3.3 billion, or 22.7 percent, to ₱11.2 billion from ₱14.5 billion in 2025.
Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), the third-largest recipient this year, is proposed to receive the same ₱8 billion in 2026.
Meanwhile, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) is set for a 10.3-percent increase, or ₱602 million, bringing its subsidy to ₱6.4 billion next year from ₱5.8 billion in 2025.
Dela Vega said the higher subsidy for NEA is intended to fund the electrification of over 3,000 unenergized sitios under the 2026 National Total Electrification Roadmap, with each sitio costing an average of ₱1.8 million, based on 2023 figures.
The Philippine Fisheries Development Authority’s (PFDA) subsidy, however, is proposed to be cut by 62 percent, or ₱3.4 billion, to ₱2.1 billion from ₱5.5 billion this year. Although still among the top recipients, PFDA dropped to 10th place from fifth in 2025.
Similar to PSALM, the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) will retain its ₱4.5-billion subsidy, keeping its sixth-place ranking. The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), meanwhile, will see its allocation rise to ₱2.8 billion from ₱2.5 billion but will remain seventh in rank.
The other government-owned and/or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) rounding out the top 10 subsidy recipients are the Philippine Heart Center, (PHC), with a slight increase from ₱2.3 billion to ₱2.4 billion, climbing to eighth place; and the National Housing Authority (NHA), whose allocation will fall from ₱2.5 billion to ₱2.2 billion, dropping to ninth.
Overall, cumulative subsidies for the top 10 GOCCs are proposed to rise by ₱21.9 billion, or 18.8 percent, to ₱138.5 billion from this year’s ₱116.5 billion.
To recall, government subsidies to state-run firms declined by 22 percent to ₱52.5 billion in January to June from ₱67.2 billion in the same period last year. This follows the Marcos Jr. administration’s continued cuts in June to funding for major non-financial and financial GOCCs.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.