Manila - Philippine share prices rose 4.47 per cent on Wednesday as investors snapped up bargain stocks following overnight gains in Wall Street.

The 30-share composite index of the Philippine Stock Exchange added 76.23 points to close at 1,780.64 from Tuesday's finish of 1,704.41.

A total of 1.158 billion shares worth 2.319 billion pesos (47.32 million dollars) were traded.

Gainers led losers 87 to 27, while 41 issues were unchanged.

Manila - Countries affected by the global financial crisis should remain open to migrant workers who can help boost their ailing economies amid the economic slowdown, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday.

Ban said he was "deeply concerned" that more than 200 million migrant workers around the world were adversely affected by the economic slowdown, as labourers in badly hit sectors such as construction and tourism start to lose their jobs.

"Today, we face a cascade of national financial crises throughout the world," he told the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Manila. "Almost none of our economies is insulated."

Manila- The Philippines police chief ordered criminal charges filed Monday against a former police general and three senior police officials in connection with the unauthorized release of millions of pesos of intelligence funds.

Director General Jesus Verzosa identified the officials as former police comptroller Eliseo De La Paz, Chief Superintendent Orlando Pestano, Senior Superintendent Tomas Rentoy and Superintendent Samuel Rodriguez.

Manila - One soldier and 14 Muslim rebels were killed Monday in a clash in the southern Philippines, a regional military spokesman said.

Major Randolph Cabangbang said the fighting erupted when soldiers encountered Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila.

Cabangbang said four soldiers and four MILF rebels were also wounded in the fighting the lasted for more than two hours.

Eight of the rebel fatalities have been identified, according to Cabangbang.

Manila - Hundreds of Filipino leftist activists marched in the Philippine capital on Monday to protest an international conference on migration.

Policemen stopped the protesters from going near a convention centre in Manila where the five-day 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development began Monday.

The protesters carried placards saying "Stop Labour Exports" and "Workers are not Commodities."

Manila - The Philippine Stock Exchange halted trading near the end of the trading day Monday after share prices fell more than 10 per cent.

Trading was stopped when the 30-share composite index fell 10.03 per cent, triggering an automatic break that was instituted last month amid volatility in the market.

The suspension was called 37 minutes before the end of Monday's session at noon (0400 GMT). Trading resumed 10 minutes later with the main index continuing to fall, closing 239.66 points, or 12.27 per cent, lower at 1,713.83.