THE country's debt service burden rose 15.6 percent to $17.16 billion last year from $14.85 billion a year earlier, preliminary Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed.
Principal payments increased by 15.3 percent to $8.94 billion from $7.76 billion while interest payments were 15.9 percent higher at $8.22 billion from $7.09 billion.
