Manila  - Remittances from millions of Filipinos working overseas hit a record-high 1.5 billion dollars in June as the global economic slowdown eased, the central bank said Monday.

The June total, which was up 3.3 per cent from last year, brought cumulative remittances for the first half of 2009 to 8.5 billion dollars, or 2.9 per cent higher year on year.

Central bank Governor Amando Tetangco said sustained foreign demand for Filipino workers and wider access to financial products and services were the "driving factors" for growth in remittances.

There are more than 8 million Filipinos working abroad. Their remittances, which totalled 16.4 billion dollars last year, account for about 10 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.

The World Bank predicted that remittances would drop 4 per cent in 2009 due to the global financial crisis.

But Tetangco said "the continued growth of remittances since January this year and emerging signs of improving global economic conditions have affirmed the positive outlook for steady remittances for 2009."

The major sources of remittances for the first semester were the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Germany. (dpa)