Cotabato City, Philippines- One soldier was killed Tuesday in a clash with Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines, a regional military spokesman said.

Major Randolph Cabangbang said the firefight between government troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels erupted in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila.

"The fighting is ongoing," he said. "We have one killed in action, but we withheld his identity pending notification of his relatives."

Cabangbang added a separate clash between another band of MILF rebels and government security forces erupted in the nearby town of Datu Piang, but there were no reports of casualties.

Fighting between government troops and MILF rebels intensified in August after the Supreme Court stopped the signing of a government-MILF agreement that would have expanded the autonomous Muslim region in the southern region of Mindanao.

More than 200 people have been killed and more than 500,000 displaced in subsequent clashes. (dpa)