COTABATO (Philippines) - PHILIPPINE troops on Wednesday disarmed a bomb planted under a road bridge in the country's restive south, an official said.

The device, made from a mortar shell rigged to a mobile phone, was discovered under the bridge in the town of Shariff Aguak on Mindanao island, army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando said.

He said the device was similar to those used in previous bombings by separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels on the island since August last year.

'We believe it's part of the rebels' diversionary tactic because they suffered as many as 10 fatalities in our air strikes yesterday,' Lieut Ando said.

On Tuesday police disarmed two grenades near an area where President Gloria Arroyo was distributing relief goods to flood victims in the city of Iligan.

The government suspended peace talks with the 12,000-strong MILF after the rebels in August launched coordinated attacks across several Mindanao towns and provinces.

Over half a million people had been displaced by the fighting, and while most have returned to their homes, thousands still remain in temporary shelters and evacuation camps. Flooding in some parts of Mindanao due to heavy rains have also added to their suffering.

More than 40 people have been hurt in separate bombings since Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, while eight were wounded in a grenade attack by alleged MILF rebels at the weekend.

A grenade also exploded in a public area in the town of Kabacan late Tuesday, although no one was hurt, the authorities said. -- AFP