Manila - Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao returned to a hero's welcome in the Philippines Friday despite appeals for him to delay his trip from the United States to ensure that he was not infected with the swine-flu virus.

After his arrival at dawn from Los Angeles, crowds of screaming fans followed Pacquiao to a hotel in Manila's financial district of Makati, a Catholic church in downtown Manila, and the headquarters of the Philippines' biggest food conglomerate.

Pacquiao was in the US for his match with Britain's Ricky Hatton, who was knocked out in the second round of their May 2 match in Las Vegas, Nevada.

At the airport, authorities set up a cordon to prevent people from getting near Pacquiao and his group, but many well-wishers ignored the warnings and rushed to personally congratulate the six-time world champion.

Pacquiao said he felt there was a greater risk if he and his companions, who included his wife and mother, stayed longer in the US, where hundreds have been infected with the H1N1 influenza virus.

"It was more risky there for my team because there were so many people visiting us there," he said. "My team might get infected, I might get infected. So we decided to just come home where we can be safe."

There are still no confirmed cases of H1N1 infections in the Philippines, where four people are under quarantine in hospitals in Manila and the southern city of Cagayan de Oro pending the results of laboratory tests.

Thirteen Filipinos and foreigners who were monitored for possible infection have tested negative for the swine-flu virus, the Department of Health said.

The World Health Organization said 24 countries have reported 2,371 influenza A infections. Mexico has reported 1,112 cases with 42 deaths, while the US has 896 infections with two deaths. There have been no deaths outside the two countries. (dpa)