BTr offers retail treasury bonds to public

By Carlson B. Alelis

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) urged the public to invest in Retail Treasury Bonds Tranche 23 (RTB 23) for as low as P5,000 from January 28 to February 6.

BTr Director for Asset Management Service Eduardo Anthony Mariño said RTBs target retail investors to allow them to invest with small denominations.

“We need to reach out to investors and this is one way to do that,” he said in an interview during the RTB 23 Roadshow held at the Courtyard By Mariott Hotel in Iloilo City last Jan. 31.

The RTB has an annual interest rate of 4.375 percent and a maturity period of three years.

Those who have bank accounts may approach their respective banks to discuss the investment opportunity.

Mariño, however, clarified that if BTr is satisfied with a certain amount of investment, the investors will not be able to place bigger amounts in RTBs for the said offer period.

Those who want to get their money before the maturity date may opt to sell their bonds, but most investors intend to keep them, he said.

“A lot of our investors, I think, are keen on holding it until three years,” he added.

Selling-agent banks include Chinabank, BPI, Metrobank, PNB, and RCBC, among others, as well as state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines.

Mariño said that BTr will be responsible to find financial resources to pay back, including interest rates, the investors upon maturity of these bonds since their office is the issuer of RTBs.

He said these bonds will be used for government investments on various projects.

“This instrument, it allows you, the investor, to level-up your money, at the same time fund the public investments – roads, bridges, hospitals, roads, schools,” he said. (PIA-6)