Manila - The Philippine military on Friday vowed not to hamper the observance of Ramadan by Muslims in the country's southern region despite rejecting calls to halt an offensive against Muslims rebels during Islam's holy month.

Government troops have been conducting airstrikes and ground assaults against Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in various areas in the southern region of Mindanao since earlier in the month when the guerrillas launched a spate of deadly attacks.

Iligan City, Philippines - Philippine government troops Thursday overran a Muslim rebel camp in the country's troubled south as Air Force planes renewed airstrikes against guerrilla positions, military officials said.

Army Major General Nehemias Pajarito said soldiers captured the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) Camp Bilal in Nunungan town in the province Lanao del Norte, 
810 kilometres south of Manila, after more than a week of intense fighting.

Manila - The Philippines' economic growth slowed to 4.6 per cent in the second quarter of 2008, dragged down by high inflation, the government said Thursday.

Growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) from April to June was down from 8.3 per cent in the same period last year, the National Statistical Coordination Board said.

The gross national product (GNP), which includes income from abroad, such as remittances by overseas Filipinos, grew by 5.5 per cent, compared with 9.8 per cent in 2007, the board said.

"The high inflation regime that prevailed during the second quarter ... took its toll on the Philippine economy," it said in a statement.

Manila - Ten South Korean nationals were killed when their van crashed into a concrete wall while on their way to a vacation in the northern Philippines, police said Thursday.

The South Koreans were on their way to a resort in Bolinao town in Pangasinan province, 225 kilometres north of Manila, when the accident occurred Wednesday.

Senior Inspector Rizaldy Dalope, town police chief, said the van smashed into a concrete wall in the village of Sampaloc.

Two of the victims were students in the northern mountain city of Baguio, while the rest were tourists. At least one was a child.

Iligan City, Philippines - Philippine Air Force planes bombarded Muslim rebel positions Wednesday in a southern province in a bid to flush out a commander who led deadly attacks last week, a military report said.

The bombings were focused on the encampments of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commander Abdullah Macapaar, also known as Commander Bravo, in Lanao del Norte province, 810 kilometres south of Manila.

"Damage report is still ongoing by troops on the ground," the report said.