The Philippine economy grew 6.7 percent in 2017, remaining one of Asia’s best performers despite a weaker business process outsourcing industry, the government announced Tuesday. Government spending ensured the country remained one of Asia’s fastest-growing major economies, behind only China and Vietnam, Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia told reporters. However he said last year’s growth was slower than the 6.9 percent gross domestic product (GDP) rise in 2016, when consumer spending was boosted during elections that propelled President Rodrigo Duterte to power. But the 2017 figure was “a good performance”, Pernia said, with China having reported 6.9 percent 2017 GDP growth last week and Vietnam achieving a 10-year-high expansion of 6.81 percent over the same period. Philippine economic growth in the three months to December 2017 was at an annualised 6.6 percent clip, slower than the previous quarter’s 7.0 percent pace. The business processing outsourcing industry, worth $23 billion and employing 1.15 million people, was a “major contributing factor to this decline”, Pernia said. Published in Daily Times, January 24th 2018.