Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said yesterday his Government expected mainlanders eventually to ease out many of the more than 140,000 Filipinos working in Hong Kong.

Mr Siazon said he estimated about 50,000 mainlanders would enter Hong Kong in search of jobs each year and displace the Filipinos in 20 to 30 years.

Philippine officials have received assurances from Chinese leaders that the Filipinos, mostly domestic workers, could keep their jobs after the handover.