MANILA: The Philippine central bank left its benchmark interest rate steady at a record low on Thursday, as widely expected, underscoring the need to insulate the economy from domestic and global uncertainties.

       The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) kept the rate on the overnight reverse repurchase facility at 2.0% for an eleventh straight policy meeting, as predicted by all 17 economists in a March 15-21 Reuters poll. - Reuters