Philippine Fourth-Quarter GDP Growth Holds Above 6% on Spending

Philippine growth increased more than economists estimated last quarter as government spending, consumption and investment rose.

Gross domestic product increased 6.8 percent in the three months through December from a year earlier, compared with a 7.2 percent gain in the previous quarter, the National Statistical Coordination Board said in Manila today. The median estimate of 19 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was 6.3 percent. The economy grew 6.6 percent in 2012.