Manila - A village chieftain and his companion were killed by three suspected communist rebels in an eastern Philippine city, a police report said Saturday.

Manolo Basilan and companion Jessie Briones were riding a motorcycle when the gunmen fired at them on Friday in Herrera village in Ligao City in Albay province, 315 kilometres south-east of Manila.

Basilan, president of village chieftains association in Ligao City, and Briones died on the spot from gunshot wounds.

Manila - Three soldiers and one communist rebel were killed in separate clashes between government troops and the guerrillas in the Philippines, a military report said Friday.

The three soldiers were killed when communist rebels waylaid a group of troops conducting a civil-military mission in Pinukpuk town in Kalinga province, 330 kilometres north of Manila, on Wednesday.

There were no reported casualties on the enemy side.

Manila - A Philippine lawmaker filed a bill on Thursday seeking to make parents pay for the crimes their children commit in a bid to curb juvenile delinquency.

Congressman Rufus Rodriguez said his proposed Parental Act of 2008 seeks to compel parents to closely monitor the activities of their minor children, who cannot be charged criminally in court under current laws.

Under the proposed law, parental liability includes payment of an amount ranging from 50,000 pesos (1,133.78) to 100,000 pesos, depending on the crimes their minor children committed.

Manila - Two militants linked to al-Qaeda were killed in a clash with government troops in a southern Philippine town, a navy spokesman said Wednesday.

Manila - Three communist rebels were killed in a clash with government troops in the northern Philippines on the weekend, an army spokesman said Wednesday.

Manila - A majority of Filipinos believed the Philippine economy worsened over the past three years despite government data of record growth in 2007, a survey showed Wednesday.

"Despite claims of economic growth by the national administration, 86 per cent say the national economy has worsened in the last three years," according to survey firm Pulse Asia Inc.

Pulse Asia said its nationwide survey on July 1-14 also showed that 81 per cent of 1,200 respondents said they personally felt the worsening of the economy.