By Christine Fabro
The country’s total outstanding debt reached P13.75 trillion as of the end of February this year, an increase of 0.4% from the previous month primarily due to the net issuance of domestic securities, the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) said on Thursday, March 30.
Of the total debt stock, the BTr said 31.3% was sourced externally, while 68.7% were domestic borrowings.
Domestic debt amounted to P9.44 trillion, an increase of 0.6% compared to the end-January 2023 level.
Meanwhile, external debt amounted to P4.31 trillion, a decline of 0.1% from the previous month due to the net repayment of foreign loans and impact of third-currency adjustments against the US dollar.
The Department of Finance earlier reported a budget surplus in the first month of the fiscal year amounting to P45.75 billion, a reversal of the P23.88 billion deficit from the previous year. -ag
