THE country's debt service burden rose 19.8 percent to $14.48 billion as of the end of October from $12.08 billion a year earlier, preliminary Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed.
Principal payments increased by 23.6 percent to $7.85 billion from $6.35 billion while interest payments were 15.7 percent higher at $6.63 billion from $5.73 billion in October 2023.