Bankers covering the Republic of the Philippines RoP know not to take long Christmas holidays, that is, if they want to pitch for what is usually Asia's first international bond each year. In eight of the last nine years, the RoP has issued benchmark-sized US dollar transactions, and funded a large portion of the coming year's offshore funding requirements, before the Christmas decorations have come down on Ayala Avenue. In issuing early, and in executing well-judged transactions, the Department of Finance DoF has won a reputation that sees it on par with the likes of Brazil and Turkey in the premier league of emerging-market sovereign borrowers.
This reputation has been hard...