TUMATAGINTING na P12 trilyon ang pagkakautang ng bansang Pilipinas sa iba’t ibang financial institutions, batay sa pinakahuling tala ng Bureau of Treasury.

Gayunpaman, iginiit ng kawanihan na pansamantala lamang ang pagsipa ng “outstanding debt” na pinalobo lamang anila ng “net issuance of domestic securities.”

Karaniwang naglalabas ang pamahalaan ng domestic securities bilang kolateral sa tuwing mangungutang.

“I would like to emphasize again that the increase in our debt level is only temporary. It did not stem from profligate public spending, but rather resulted from a universal shock that deteriorated the financial positions of almost all countries around the world,”depense ni Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez sa pangambang isang debt trap ang pinapasok na kasunduan ng gobyerno.

Sa kabila pa ng malaking pagkakautang ng bansa, naniniwala si Dominguez na hindi na lalaki pa ang “outstanding debt” ng Pilipinas kung tutupdin ng susunod na administrasyon ang kanilang binalangkas na polisiya.

“Tax revenue losses from the pandemic-induced economic slump, the rise in debt to fund our COVID-19 response, the looming revenue impact of our economic recovery measures, and lower spending efficiency as a result of the Supreme Court decision to expand the share of LGUs (local government units) from the NTA (National Tax Allotment) must be adequately addressed by the next administration’s economic team,” banggit ng Kalihim.

Aminado din siyang malaking dagok ang pandemya sa ekonomiya ng bansa para sa taong 2020 ang nawalang P785 bilyong kitang kumakatawan sa 4.4% ng gross domestic product (GDP).