MANILA — The Department of Finance sees faster public spending to boost the country’s economy in the second half of the year.
“The Philippines continues to be driven by robust domestic demand, propelled by household consumption… and improved expenditure performance,” Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said.
The statement was made following the announcement of the country’s second quarter economic growth.
The country’s growth settled at 5.6 percent, which shows a slight increase from the revised five percent in the first three months of the year.
The failure of the government to further accelerate public spending was earlier blamed for the five-percent expansion in the first quarter of the year.
For the second half, the Finance department is expecting faster public spending to boost the country’s economy.
“We expect public spending to play a bigger role in second semester performance as we have ample fiscal space in the P2.6-trillion 2015 budget to fund growth-inducing investments,” he said.
“The Philippines’ resilience continues to differentiate the country as a bedrock of stability in the region as we push on with brighter prospects,” Purisima said.