MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez believes the country may still hit the targeted six percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in 2023, with holiday spending being key to this projected upward movement. Romualdez in a statement on Thursday said that increased spending during the Christmas season and the higher disbursements from the government, to complete projects for the year, may allow the country to hit targets. The Speaker said this after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said that the economy grew by 5.9 percent in the third quarter of 2023. While this was a faster growth compared to the 4.3 percent rate registered for the second quarter of this year, it only brought the country’s year-to-date…
