Outstanding gov’t-issued IOUs slightly down in Feb

The amount of outstanding government-issued debt paper slightly declined to P4.89 trillion in February as more Treasury bonds matured that month, paving the way for the sale of retail IOUs in March.

The Bureau of the Treasury data showed that the total outstanding Treasury bills and bonds as of end-February went down from P4.91 trillion in January.

Outstanding Treasury bonds fell to P4.31 trillion from P4.35 trillion a month ago.

Treasury bills, meanwhile, continued to rise to P585.4 billion from P555.9 billion in the previous month.

Of the outstanding T-bills, P109.1 billion were from the auction of benchmark 91-day IOUs; P174.9 billion, 182-day debt paper, and P301.4 billion, 364-day Treasury bills.

As for outstanding T-bonds, three-year IOUs have a face amount of P94.9 billion; five-year debt paper, P261.5 billion; seven-year Treasury bonds, P614.3 billion, and 10-year T-bonds, P407.3 billion.

The outstanding amount for 10-year agrarian reform bonds was P8.9 billion; 20-year IOUs, P368.1 billion; and 25-year debt paper, P235.9 billion.

Of the $6.582-million Philippine Par Bond redenominated into 28.5 years, the outstanding amount was P97.1 million.

Also outstanding were P909.3 billion in benchmark bonds; P50-billion 25-year CB-BoL T-bonds, and P25.9 billion in onshore dollar T-bond.

Outstanding retail Treasury bonds hit P1.34 trillion.

Bond maturities in February allowed the Treasury to sell P235.9 billion in five-year retail Treasury bonds this month at a coupon of 6.25 percent.