Manila - The commander of Philippine troops battling Muslim militants holding captive three international Red Cross workers went on leave on Monday after a deal to free one of the hostages collapsed on the weekend.

Marine Major General Juancho Sabban was taking a two-week leave to attend an anti-terrorism conference in the United States starting on March 25, according to navy spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Edgard Arevalo.

Manila  - Philippine shares rose 2.46 per cent Monday on plans by the United States government to buy as much as 1 trillion dollars in toxic assets on banks' accounts.

The Philippine Stock Exchange's 30-share composite index added 45.19 points to close at 1,879.09 from Friday's finish of 1,833.90.

A total of 554.25 million shares valued at 4.73 billion pesos (97.72 million dollars) were traded.

Gainers outpaced losers 53 to 29, with 38 issues unchanged.

Manila  - Single mother Maritess Paloma had a simple dream in mind when she left home to work in Taiwan in June 2008 - to save enough money to buy a house in the northern Philippine province of Bulacan.

The dream crumbled when less than five months later, when she was laid off from her job at a Taiwan semiconductor factory.

Cotabato City, Philippines - Seven people were wounded when an improvised bomb exploded in a southern Philippine city, a local official said Monday.

The bomb exploded Sunday evening on a pedestrian overpass bridge in Kidapawan City in North Cotabato province, 960 kilometres south of Manila, according to Vice Governor Emmanuel Pinol.

All victims who suffered wounds from the explosion are in stable condition.

Pinol said the explosion was powerful and created a hole on the concrete overpass bridge.

Cotabato City, Philippines  - A homemade bomb ripped through a passenger bus terminal in a southern Philippine city Sunday, but no one was hurt, police said.

The explosion occurred before dawn at the Husky Bus Terminal in Cotabato City, 960 kilometres south of Manila, according to Senior Superintendent Willie Dangane, city police chief.

Dangane said two buses and a concrete wall were partially damaged by the blast.

"Police investigators are looking into extortion and transport business rivalry as possible motives," he said.

Manila  - Thousands of people marched on Saturday in the Philippine capital to denounce illegal drugs which afflict millions in the country.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and senior government officials led the march along the length of Roxas Boulevard in downtown Manila, which was attended by schoolchildren and government employees.

Organizers of the march hoped to make it to the Guinness World Records bookas the world's first and largest march against illegal drugs.