MANILA, Philippines - Remittances sent to the Philippines surged in September as the sustained growth in demand for Filipino workers debunked earlier fears that the global economic crunch would slow down the inflow of money from abroad.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported Monday that remittances from Filipinos based overseas rose 8.6 percent to $1.4 billion in September from $1.33 billion a year ago.

The latest figure brought total remittances in the first nine months to $12.8 billion, up 4.2 percent from $12.27 billion in the same period last year.

Given the robust growth of remittances as of September, the BSP said the official projection of a 4-percent full-year growth in remittances for 2009 was attainable. Analysts said the increase in remittances might even accelerate in the fourth quarter when overseas Filipinos send more money in time for Christmas.

?Steady remittance flows were shored up by the continued strong global demand for professional and skilled Filipino workers,? BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said.

Remittances in the first nine months came mostly from Filipinos based in the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Germany.

Tetangco also credited the government?s earlier move to sign labor deals with other countries for the steady rise in remittances. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) earlier forged agreements with counterparts in countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, which committed to hire Filipinos to partly fill up their labor requirements.

?The deployment of Filipino workers abroad was anticipated to increase given the continuing hiring arrangements between the Philippines with existing and non-traditional labor markets,? Tetangco said.

According to the POEA, job orders for Filipino workers by foreign employers reached 226,260 from January to October. Most of the jobs were related to services, production and transport.

Tetangco added that Filipinos abroad now have easier access to banking services that allow them to send money to their families and friends in the Philippines much faster than before. More and more Philippine-based banks have either opened branches abroad, especially in places where many Filipino workers are situated or tied up with foreign remittance centers to serve the Filipino market.

Remittances are a closely watched economic indicator as these largely fuel household consumption, which accounts for 70 percent of the country?s economy.

But while the rise in remittances is hailed by economic officials, critics said the country?s dependence on remittances served as a reminder of the failure of the domestic economy to provide sufficient employment for Filipinos. Unemployment rate in the Philippines stood at 7.6 percent in July.