Philippine economic growth quickens to 5.6% in Q2

Philippine economic growth quickened to 5.6 percent in the second quarter, placing the country in a better position to weather the global fallout from China's economic woes, the government said Thursday. Boosted by higher government spending, the April to June gross domestic product (GDP) outpaced the 5.0-percent growth in the previous quarter, which was the lowest in three years, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said. Government expenditures in the second quarter rose 3.9 percent c