MANILA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines is planning to issue about 1 billion U.S. dollars worth of Samurai bonds this year, the country's finance department said in a statement released in Manila on Tuesday.
The Philippines has had two successful floats of dollar-dominated and renminbi-dominated securities in the offshore markets in the first quarter of this year.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez bared the plan during his opening remarks at the economic briefing on Philippine economy in Tokyo, Japan.
"This year, we are also planning to issue around 1 billion U.S. dollars worth of Samurai bonds," Dominguez told Japanese businessmen.
Dominguez did not give other details of the planned yen-denominated bond float in his speech, but he has said earlier that the government will proceed with it by September or October this year.
Buoyed by the tight spreads of the Philippines' earlier bond issuances this year, Dominguez said such developments "indicate confidence in the fiscal and debt management of the Duterte administration."
In showcasing the Philippines' vibrant economic prospects, Dominguez recalled that when the government issued 2-billion-U.S. dollar worth of 10-year dollar denominated bonds in January, its spread was 37.8 basis points (bps) over the U.S. Treasuries, while its maiden Panda bond float of 1.46 billion yuan (225 million U.S. dollars) in March had an even tighter spread of only 35 bps over the benchmark.
This year's Philippine Economic Briefing (PEB), which showcases the Philippines' economic resilience amid its goal of spurring infrastructure development to achieve inclusive growth, is the second held in the Japanese capital since last year.
The Philippines issued in March its inaugural renminbi-denominated bonds, or Panda bonds. The Philippines became the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations member to issue Panda bonds.
The Bureau of the Treasury said the panda bonds, with a three-year tenor, were issued in the onshore Chinese bond market.
