Manila  - Three suspected robbers were killed in a shootout with police officers in the Philippine capital on Monday, a police official said.

A bystander was wounded in the firefight in Sikatuna village in the Manila suburban city of Quezon, but was already in safe condition after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

Chief Superintendent Magtanggol Gatdula, a district police director, said gunmen opened fire at police officers who responded to reports of suspicious men in the area.

Gatdula said police officers were inspecting commercial banks in the area when they received the reports about the gunmen in a taxi.

"When the police officers arrived, they were immediately fired upon by the suspects, triggering the shootout," he said.

Gatdula said investigators were still determining the identities of the slain suspects, while police officers were dispatched to hunt down two gunmen who escaped. (dpa)