Government debt approaches P16 trillion amid rising borrowing trend

The government’s debt stock is nearing the P16 trillion threshold, driven by continued borrowing from both domestic and foreign creditors.

Data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed that the national government’s total outstanding debt reached P15.89 trillion at end-September, with over half (68.81 percent) of this amount owed to domestic lenders.

In September, the national debt posted a double-digit increase of 11.4 percent, rising by P1.63 trillion from P14.27 trillion in the same month last year.

Despite the increase, the Treasury stated that this debt level “remains manageable.”

Domestically, the national debt climbed to P10.94 trillion, or a 12.3 percent increase from the previous year and a 2.2 percent rise from August.

This increase was primarily due to a net issuance of P145.11 billion in new government securities, slightly offset by a P460 million decline in the value of US dollar-denominated securities as the peso strengthened.

Foreign debt totaled P4.957 trillion for the month, a 9.3 percent increase compared to P4.534 trillion in the same period last year.

It also grew by 4.2 percent from the previous month, mainly due to P201 billion in net foreign borrowings, including a $2.5 billion bond issuance to support budgetary needs.

Despite this, favorable foreign exchange adjustments led to a substantial decrease of P2.43 billion in the overall external debt, according to BTr.

Meanwhile, the national government’s guaranteed debt—debt it has committed to repay if necessary—reached P372.86 billion since the start of the year, representing a 2.9 percent increase from September of the previous year.

This rise was largely attributed to P12.30 billion in new guarantees for the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) and the National Food Authority (NFA), along with a P940 million increase in the value of guarantees denominated in third currencies.

However, this increase was moderated by net repayments of P3.95 billion and a P460 million decline in the value of US dollar-denominated guarantees, as stated by BTr.

“Overall, the Philippine government’s prudent debt management, supported by heavy bias on local funding, contributes to the country’s strong fiscal position and continued resilience amidst global uncertainties,” the Treasury said. — Derco Rosal