BAGUIO CITY, Philippines?Texas Instruments Philippines Inc. is expected to axe more employees in a second wave of layoffs, which would have an impact on the 2009 growth scenario for the summer capital and the rest of the Cordillera.

This was disclosed by Juan Ngalob, Cordillera director of the National Economic and Development Authority, during a news conference here on Wednesday.

Texas Instruments was the first American-led firm to ?bite the bullet,? when it authorized an early retirement program for its employees before the end of 2008, he said.

In December, Texas Instruments officials advised the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that they had let go of 392 workers from different divisions, said Cordillera Director Ana Dione.

Ngalob?s disclosure could not be confirmed with Texas Instruments as calls to the company were unanswered.

A hundred more workers are due for reassignment to Texas Instruments? new facility at the Clark Economic Zone, according to a company report sent to the government.

Beefing up Clark while paring down manpower at the oldest plant in Baguio ?may be part of its (Texas Instruments?) strategy,? Ngalob said.

Due to a US market slowdown, semiconductor firms that have been supplying this market would logically take the brunt of the economic crisis, he said.

Based on the company?s latest advisory, the workers were retrenched, although a few enrolled in early retirement packages, Dione said.

The workers were granted terminal leaves without pay in December, and were expecting to be paid their full retrenchment benefits next week, she said.

Dione said she was not alerted to a second wave of layoffs.

?We have not yet crunched the numbers,? Ngalob said.