MANILA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' total outstanding debt reached a new high of 18.49 trillion pesos (roughly 305.2 billion U.S. dollars) as of the end of March 2026, a 1.81 percent increase from the previous month, the country's Bureau of Treasury said Wednesday.
According to the bureau, the expansion was primarily driven by the revaluation impact of the peso's depreciation against the U.S. dollar, alongside the net issuance of domestic securities.
The bureau said external debt stood at 5.95 trillion pesos (roughly 98 billion U.S. dollars), or 4.81 percent higher than at the end of February 2026. "The increase was largely attributed to the depreciation of the peso," the bureau added. ■