The national government nearly doubled its gross borrowings to ₱408.2 billion in January as the Marcos administration front-loaded its financing requirements to take advantage of favorable market conditions. According to the latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), gross borrowings...
Higher interest and principal payments drove the national government’s (NG) total debt payments in the first month of 2026, which surged by 29.3 percent to ₱137.7 billion from ₱106.5 billion in January last year Data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) indicate that this double-digit...
A farmers’ group on Sunday, March 29, warned of a looming food crisis as rising fuel prices push Filipino farmers and fisherfolk deeper into debt and drive up production costs. As tensions in the Middle East continue to trigger oil price shocks, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said...
Below-target borrowings could persist due to war-shocked yields, a strategy the Marcos Jr. administration appears to have applied as it enters the second quarter of 2026, with planned domestic borrowings dropping from ₱824 billion in the first quarter to ₱784 billion. In a March 23 memorandum...
BACOLOD CITY – A 17-year-old student was gunned down allegedly due to an unpaid debt in Barangay Refugio, Calatrava, Negros Occidental on Thursday, Feb. 5. Police initially received a report over a vehicular accident but later found out it was a shooting incident. Investigation said the victim...
A tricycle driver almost lost one of his fingers after another tricycle driver attacked him with a knife due to an unpaid debt in Barangay San Jose, Antipolo City, Rizal, on Thursday, Feb. 5. According to the Antipolo City Police, the victim owes the suspect P5,000 after the former promised to give...
While welcoming the Department of Education’s (DepEd) efforts to explore more flexible loan arrangements for public school teachers, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines on Thursday, February 5, warned that extending loan terms will only worsen educators’ growing debt burden if...
The national government’s total outstanding debt climbed to a record ₱17.65 trillion at end-November, exceeding internal projections and signaling continued fiscal pressure as President Marcos ramps up borrowing to fund his budget. On Wednesday, Jan. 7, the Bureau of the Treasury announced that...
Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso apologized to Manileños over the lack of Christmas decors, particularly Christmas lanterns (parol) adorned across the streets in Manila on Monday, Nov. 24, as he explained he had to prioritize the allocation of funds for social aid and the payment of...
Despite the nearly two percent hike in foreign borrowings, the national government’s outstanding debt fell to ₱17.455 trillion in September, though officials warned that further reductions will depend heavily on the peso’s strength against the United States (US) dollar. National Treasurer...
Reversing its record high of ₱17.56 trillion in July, the national government’s outstanding debt shrank to ₱17.47 trillion in August, due to settlement of over half a trillion pesos in local bonds and stronger peso. Given this development, Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto and National...
Pervasive corruption in the Philippines is preventing the country from realizing its full economic potential, despite President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. making “steady progress” on his reform agenda, according to the think tank Capital Economics. In its Asia Economic Outlook report for the...
