Government still counting on late-year spending boost to hit GDP goals

Government still counting on late-year public spending boost to hit GDP goals

- 

THEGOVERNMENT is still counting on accelerated spending late in the year as it reaches for the low end of official growth targets, even though economic planners have all but ruled out the possibility.

The official growth target is 5.5%-6.5% for 2025, though the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEP-Dev) has warned that even the low end of the target band could be out of reach.

If DEPDev’s view pans out, it would be the third consecutive year targets will be missed, as the Philippines grapples with an infrastructure corruption scandal and successive natural disasters.