THE country’s consolidated general government (GG) debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio rose in the first quarter of 2019, the Department of Finance (DoF) reported on Thursday.

The ratio — used by debt watchers such as Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings to assess the creditworthiness of sovereign borrowers — worsened to 38 percent from 36 percent a quarter earlier, it said in a statement.