Puerto Rico Lacks Cash for Aug. Bond Payment, Official Says

27-Jul (Bloomberg) — Puerto Rico currently lacks the funds needed to make a payment due next month on bonds sold by its Public Finance Corp., a government official said.

Victor Suarez, the chief of staff for Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla, told reporters Monday in San Juan that whether the payment is made will depend on if the commonwealth has cash available. He didn’t say whether the island will be able to do so.

The payment will hinge on “the liquidity the government has to attend to each of its obligations,” he said. “The priority will always be to attend to the essential services to citizens, such as security, health care and education.”

Puerto Rico faces $58 million of interest and pricipal due Aug. 1 on the Public Finance Corp. bonds, according to Moody’s Investors Service. It may miss the payment because the legislature has failed to allocate the funds, which would be the first default by the commonwealth as it moves toward restructuring $72 billion of debt.

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