Manila - Philippine troops have recovered a "motorcycle bomb" in a southern province after suspected Muslim militants abandoned the bike due to a flat tire, a regional military spokesman said Wednesday.

Major Armand Rico said army soldiers set up checkpoints in two villages in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila, after receiving intelligence reports about an abandoned motorcycle packed with explosives on Tuesday.

"The motorcycle was on its way to Davao (City) when it experienced a flat tire along the village of Saniag," he said. "The suspected terrorists later abandoned the motorcycle bomb."

Manila - The Philippine military has dispatched additional troops to the country's troubled south in the wake of increasing attacks by communist rebels on businesses, a military spokesman said Tuesday.

Major Armand Rico said about 700 troops, additional armoured vehicles and tanks arrived in the southern city of Davao at the weekend to augment forces in areas where guerrillas have recently attacked businesses.

"These criminal acts have seriously threatened the livelihood of the people, as the communist terrorists attack the businesses and industries that provide jobs for our people," he said.

Manila - A 56-year-old British tourist drowned on the weekend while swimming in a waterfall in the Philippines, a police report said Monday. 

Manila - Toxic pesticides inside a sunken Philippine ferry have so far not contaminated surrounding waters, but foreign experts urged the government to intensify monitoring to prevent an environmental disaster, officials said Friday.

A joint team of the European Union and the United Nations visited the capsized MV Princess of the Stars off Sibuyan Island, 300 kilometres south of Manila, earlier in the week to examine possible contamination of the waters.

More than 800 people are dead or missing from the accident, which occurred at the height of powerful typhoon Fengshen that pummeled the Philippines last month.

Manila - Communist rebels attacked a provincial jail in the southern Philippines in a bid to free a detained comrade, but the attempt was foiled by security forces, the country's military said Thur

Manila - Remittances from overseas Filipinos rose 14.74 per cent in the first five months of the year as more workers found employment abroad, the government said Tuesday.