Philippine troops killed a senior commander of al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants wanted for kidnappings and bombings amid an ongoing offensive, the military said Friday.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo endorsed her former defense chief as her successor on Thursday although major defections hit the Philippines' largest political party ahead of presidential elections next May.

The United Nations appealed Tuesday for US$144 million to help victims of three recent typhoons that devastated the Philippines, nearly double its original request.

The son of Philippines democracy icon Corazon “Cory” Aquino continued to lead candidates for the 2010 presidential election, an opinion poll said on Monday.

Hillary mania gripped the Philippine capital of Manila as thousands of cheering and flag-waving Filipinos greeted U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her two-day visit ending Friday.

Twenty-three people died in the southern Philippines during fierce clashes between communist guerrillas and the military after the rebels raided a logging site, officials said Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday vowed support for the Philippine fight against al-Qaida-linked militants and highlighted the U.S. military's role in helping the country recover from deadly typhoons.

A 79-year-old Irish priest said he hiked through jungles, survived raging seas and slept in a swamp under a tarpaulin before his captors released him Thursday after a month, apparently without getting the ransom they demanded.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday vowed support for the Philippine fight against al-Qaida-linked militants and highlighted the U.S. military's role in helping the country recover from deadly typhoons.

The cone-shaped Mayon volcano in the central Philippines, which killed scores in an eruption 16 years ago, shot up an ash plume Wednesday — prompting hundreds of nearby residents to evacuate in case it blows again.