MANILA, Philippines - The Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates low for an extended period should boost interest in debt issues from emerging markets, including the Philippines, the central bank governor said on Thursday.

"This should help US treasury yields hold for now. As confidence picks up further, we may see some increase in risk appetite towards emerging (market) dollar bonds, including ours," Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Amando Tetangco said in a mobile text message to reporters.

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee left the benchmark interest rate near zero as expected and reaffirmed they will be low for some time.