Hanoi (VNA) - The Philippine economy slowed in the second quarter to6 percent from the 6.6 percent recorded in the first quarter, the lowest growthsince the third quarter of 2015.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), manufacturing, trade,and construction were the main drivers of growth for the quarter.
Among the major economic sectors, services recorded the fastest growth at 6.6percent. Industry followed with a growth of 6.3 percent, and agriculture with agrowth of 0.2 percent.
Despite the slower growth in the second quarter, the Philippines remains one ofthe best-performing economies in Asia.
The Philippines targets a growth rate of 7 - 8 percent for the whole year,higher than the predictions of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) at 6.8 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively.-VNA