The Bureau of the Treasury said Tuesday it raised P457.8 billion from the offering of five-year retail treasury bonds.
It closed the offering period for the 27th tranche of the RTBs, of which P120.8 billion was awarded during the rate-setting auction on Feb. 15. An additional P337.0 billion was added throughout the two-week offer period. The RTB 27 is set to be settled on March 4 with a coupon rate of 4.875 percent.
“By our funding activities in the domestic space, we are shielding our debt portfolio from volatility in the global financial markets, all while taking advantage of the commitment of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for supporting the country’s economic recovery,” National Treasurer Rosalia De Leon said in a statement.
The Treasury said it teamed up with the Department of Foreign Affairs to conduct webinars with overseas Filipinos to discuss the features, advantages and how to invest in RTBs over the two-week offer period.
Financial literacy sessions for OFWs were conducted in more than 30 cities and countries around the world, including those in East Africa, South America and Europe.
It said that together with RTB 27 issue managers, it conducted online and hybrid webinars for local investors. Aside from the regional briefings, the BTr held one-on- one investor briefings with the local media, individual investors and cooperatives in key cities in Baguio, Pampanga, Naga, Cebu, Laguna, Batangas and Davao.
The RTB offering was made available for as low as P5,000 through the traditional over-the-counter placement in bank branches and digital channels such as the BTr’s RTB Online Ordering Facility, the Bonds.PH mobile application, the Overseas Filipino Bank Mobile Banking app and the Landbank Mobile Banking app.
“The BTr’s pursuit for financial literacy and inclusion continues to be the backbone of many of our investor-centered initiatives. This year, we strive to improve not only our ordinary investors’ access to government securities but to also help them understand the value behind developing a habit of investing,” De Leon said.
Proceeds from the issuance will help the country respond to the challenges posed by the pandemic and support various programs for economic resiliency and recovery, it said.
State-run Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines are the joint lead issue managers for the 27th RTB offering. They are joined by BDO Capital & Investment Corp., BPI Capital Corp., China Bank Capital Corp., First Metro Investment Corp., Security Bank Capital Corp. and Union Bank of the Philippines as joint issue managers.
The Treasury said RTBs accounted for 35.2 percent of the government’s outstanding debt securities in 2021, helping raise funds for its pandemic response programs.
The Treasury said it raised P463.3 billion and P360.0 billion from the issuance of RTB-25 and RTB-26, respectively.
The Treasury also launched in October 2021 the government’s first-ever retail dollar bonds, which raised $1.6 billion from the five-year and 10-year tenors.