Philippines says typhoon rebuilding cost may be up to $5.8 billion

MANILA (Reuters) - The cost of rebuilding houses, schools, roads and bridges in typhoon-devastated central Philippines could reach 250 billion pesos (3.6 billion pounds), making it likely that the government will seek cheap loans from development agencies, a senior official said on Tuesday.

If the government is successful in deploying resources for post-typhoon reconstruction, the economy may even grow faster, said Arsenio Balisacan, economic planning secretary, adding the country's strong economic fundamentals remained intact.