Manila - A peace advocacy group on Thursday called for a ceasefire between the military and Muslim separatist rebels in the southern Philippines, where more than 500,000 people have been displaced by fighting since last month.

More than 200 people, including nearly 70 civilians, have also been killed in the hostilities that started in August when Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels launched a series of attacks in the southern region of Mindanao.

The Mindanao People's Caucus appealed to Arroyo to declare a ceasefire to allow the government to focus on the growing number of evacuees due to the conflict.

Manila  - The Supreme Court's swift action to punish several appellate court justices involved in a multimillion-peso bribery scandal has boosted anti-corruption efforts in the Philippines' graft-ridden judiciary.

After two months of investigation, the high tribunal on Tuesday dismissed from service Court of Appeals Associate Justice Vicente Roxas for multiple violations of the canons of the Code of Judicial Conduct.

The decision was hailed as a warning to erring magistrates.

"This should now instill fear in the hearts of those in the legal system that the Supreme Court will not take lightly any act that will smear the integrity of the legal profession and our justice system," House Speaker Prospero Nograles said.

Zamboanga City, Philippines - A homemade bomb was found Thursday near a government building in a southern Philippine city amid tight security on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, police said.

The explosive device, made with 3 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, was concealed in a black plastic bag left in a vacant lot in front of the local legislative building in Zamboanga City, 875 kilometres south of Manila.

Manila - The Philippines on Wednesday dispatched a three-member team to mediator Malaysia to explain the collapse of peace talks with Muslim secessionist rebels in the southern region of Mindanao.

Secretary Jesus Dureza said the team, headed by presidential peace adviser Hermogenes Esperon, would explain the official status of the peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Malaysia has been brokering the peace negotiations between the 12,000-strong MILF and the Philippine government, which started in 1997.

Manila - Philippine police forces were placed on heightened alert Tuesday, the eve of the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, a spokesman said.

All police units were told to initiate preventive measures against terrorist activities by local groups, Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome said.

"Based on historical data, some terrorist organizations have been known to launch activities to commemorate some dates and occasions that are significant to their organization," he said.

Manila - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday ruled out resuming stalled peace talks with the country's largest Muslim separatist rebel group amid escalating violence in the troubled southern region.

"We will not negotiate with a gun pointed to our head," Arroyo said in a message marking the signing of a peace agreement with a separate Muslim rebel group in September 1996. "Innocent civilians should not be terrorized for crass political gain."