PH economic growth seen at 6.1%-7.6%

Philippine economic growth likely accelerated in the first quarter of 2016 compared with the same period a year earlier, as a rebound in manufacturing and strong domestic consumption should have more than offset weaker exports and agricultural losses due to El Niño, analysts polled by The Manila Times said.

Gross domestic product (GDP) may have expanded by 6.1 percent to 7.6 percent in the January to March period, they said, up from the 5 percent recorded a year earlier.