Philippines will avoid recession this year-official

Published: 02 Jun 2009 01:21:40 PST

MANILA, June 2 - The Philippines will not slip into recession this year as the economy is expected to grow in the second quarter, boosted by government spending, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Dennis Arroyo, head of policy planning at the National Economic Development Authority, also said the government was looking at lowering this year's gross domestic product growth target of 3.1-4.1 percent after dismal growth in the first three months. However, he gave no figures.

"I am sure we will not slip into recession this year," Arroyo told Reuters.