Cotabato City, Philippines  - A militiaman was killed Monday and eight more were injured in two separate explosions in the southern Philippines, military and police officials said.

The first blast was caused by a homemade bomb planted outside an army encampment in North Upi town in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila, said Major Randolph Cabangbang, a regional army spokesman.

Cabangbang said militiaman Erol Roberts was killed in the explosion, which occurred while he was inspecting the bag where the bomb was placed.

Cabangbang said Roberts was rushed to a nearby community hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Hours later, eight people were wounded when a hand grenade exploded in front of a busy grocery in nearby Cotabato City, according to police Senior Inspector Alexander Sarabia.

Sarabia, a regional police spokesman, said four suspects - including two females - were involved in the grenade-throwing incident in front of the grocery.

Soldiers who were manning a nearby checkpoint took into custody one of the suspects in the incident.

On July 5, six people were killed and more than 50 were injured when a homemade bomb exploded outside a Catholic church in Cotabato City in an attack blamed on Muslim separatist rebels. (dpa)