MANILA -- The Philippines is seeking a 170 billion pesos ($3.6 billion) pandemic stimulus program to boost its economic recovery this year, officials said on Tuesday, as they temper growth targets following disappointing first-quarter results.
President Rodrigo Duterte's economic team now expects gross domestic product to expand by 6% to 7% in 2021, slightly lower than the previous target of between 6.5% and 7.5%, as the country wrestles with new COVID-19 variants.