Variable set on true looses value after first if-statement ---? - php

Question

This seems very bizarre to me.
At the beginning of my php-script I am defining a debug variable. In the script I am using this variable to test my functions etc. p.p. BUT:
After my first if-Statement, the variable $debug is not set on true but blank... what am I doing wrong:
Here is my code:
$debug=true;
if($debug){
echo 'Testausgabe: </br></br>';
include 'jsonData.php';
include 'database.php';
$ini_config=$ini_config = parse_ini_file("config.ini", true);
echo "Einbindung erfolgt!".LNBR;
$debug=true;
echo $debug;
echo LNBR;
}
function dropdownGen($link,$ini_config){
$drops=$ini_config['dropDowns'];
foreach($drops as $key => $liste){
$data=json_liste($link,$liste);
echo LNBR;
echo "droplist_parse=JSON.parse('".$data."');";
echo "ddslickNoImage(droplist_parse,'".$liste."');";
echo LNBR;
echo "ddslickNoImage_Toggle(droplist_parse,'".$liste."');";
echo LNBR;
}
}
function dropdownImgGen($link, $ini_config){
$images=$ini_config['image_links'];
print_r($images);
echo "<br><br>";
foreach($images as $key => $liste){
$link='..\\'.utf8_decode($liste);
echo $link;
echo LNBR;
$data=json_imageList($link);
echo $data;
echo LNBR;
echo "ddslickImageList(".$data.",'".$key."');";
}
}
if($debug){
echo $debug;
echo LNBR;
echo 'Testausgabe: </br></br>';
dropdownGen($link,$ini_config);
echo LNBR;
dropdownImgGen($link,$ini_config);
echo LNBR;
}