Cotabato City, Philippines - Six people, including an 8-year-old girl, were killed in an attack triggered by a land conflict in the southern Philippines, a provincial police chief said Friday.

Senior Superintendent Robert Kiunisala said three gunmen barged into the house of the victims Thursday in a village in Tupi town in South Cotabato province, 990 kilometres south of Manila.

The suspects then opened fire on the victims, who belonged to a local tribe, he said.

The victims died instantly from gunshot wounds.

Manila  - Democracy activists took to the streets in the Philippines on Friday to demand more action from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) against Myanmar for its poor human rights record.

The protestors, numbering around 90, picketed the Thai embassy in Manila and urged ASEAN to put Myanmar, formerly called Burma, on the "hot seat" during its annual leaders' summit in Thailand, which started Friday.

"The military regime of Burma has a lot to answer," said Resti Delizo of the Free Burma Coalition-Philippines. "Its human rights record is not showing any degree of significant improvement and ASEAN should not take a blind eye to this issue."

Manila  - A despondent army sergeant killed three of his comrades in a shooting spree inside an army camp in the Philippine capital, an army spokesman said Thursday.

One soldier also was wounded when Sergeant Elias Tial ran amok late Wednesday inside their barracks in Fort Bonifacio in Manila's Taguig City, Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner said.

Brawner identified the fatalities as Captain Benito Ramos, First Lieutenant Gerald Fuentes and Master Sergeant Eliseo de la Cruz.

Manila  - A despondent army sergeant killed two of his comrades in a shooting spree inside an army camp in the Philippine capital, an army spokesman said Thursday.

Two soldiers also were wounded when Sergeant Elias Tial ran amok late Wednesday inside their barracks in Fort Bonifacio in Manila's Taguig City, Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner said.

Brawner said the suspect, whose father died Saturday, escaped after the incident but the M16 rifle used in the shooting was recovered by his superior.

Manila - Anti-US protestors in the Philippines scuffled with police officers on Wednesday in a rally demanding the abrogation of a treaty that gives special status to US military personnel in the country.

Several demonstrators were hurt in the scuffle near the US embassy in Manila as police officers hit them with truncheons and batons.

The confrontation occurred when about 300 demonstrators attempted to break through a police barricade to march towards the main gate of the embassy compound.

Police officials stressed the group did not have a permit to hold a demonstration in front of the embassy.

Manila  - The Philippines downgraded on Wednesday its economic growth target for 2009 due to the severe impact of the global slowdown, a senior official said.

Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto said the growth target for 2009 was revised to between 3.7 per cent and 4.4 percent from the previous forecast of between 3.7 per cent and 4.7 per cent.

In 2008, the Philippines' gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.6 per cent, way below the three-decade high growth of 7.1 per cent in 2007.