Manila  - The Philippine military said Thursday that the recent visit of a local official to three kidnapped staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross was "a step forward" in efforts to free them.

Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres, a military spokesman, said the visit also validated reports that the hostages - Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba - were "still alive" and "not suffering."

Manila  - More than 5,000 US troops were due to arrive in the Philippines to participate in annual joint military exercises, a military spokesman said Thursday.

The annual Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises aim to enhance the preparedness and cooperation between the two forces in times of crisis and conflict, Major Ramon Zagala said.

From 5,500 to 6,000 US troops were expected to participate in the war games, which are be held mainly in the eastern region of Bicol from February 25 to April 30, Zagala said.

Manila  - At least five people were killed in an explosion Thursday that rocked a firecracker factory just outside the Philippine capital, local officials said.

The blast occurred shortly before noon inside the Starmaker Fireworks factory in the village of Conchu in Trece Martires City in Cavite province, 25 kilometres south of Manila, according to Mayor Melencio de Sagun.

De Sagun said only two bodies of those killed remained intact while the other three bodies were found torn to pieces.

Manila  - The Philippines' economic growth slowed down to 4.6 per cent in 2008 as the country began to feel the impact of the global economic crisis, the government said Thursday.

The 2008 gross domestic growth (GDP) was down from 7.2 per cent posted in 2007, a three-decade high, according to the National Statistical Coordination Board
(NSCB).

The country's gross national product (GNP), which includes remittances from Filipinos abroad, grew 6.1 per cent in 2008, down from 8 per cent the previous year.

Zamboanga City, Philippines - Three abducted staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were visited on Wednesday by a local official on the southern Philippine island where they were being held by Muslim militants.

Vice Governor Lady Anne Sahidula of Sulu province, which covers Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila, said she met with Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba and their kidnappers.