Candidates pray before Manila poll

The candidates were warned to keep their ambitions in check

The five presidential candidates in the Philippines were delivered a sermon on Sunday ahead of Monday's election.

They gathered at the oldest church in Manila to show unity and to pray for peaceful polls after warnings about rebel attacks and rigged ballots.

The archbishop of Manila urged them to "spare the poor more suffering," and avoid the past's "tragic mistakes".

Opinion polls put President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ahead of her film star challenger Fernando Poe Junior.

Before the service the five candidates posed for photos under the baroque altar of San Agustin church.

Nation building

Millions in the Roman Catholic country watched on live television as they sat at the front, holding hands during a hymn.

The archbishop, Gaudencio Rosales, said: "Nation building to us is more important than an election. In the building of a nation ambition must be sacrificed for unity and direction.

PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Film star Fernando Poe Junior Former police chief Panfilo Lacson Former education secretary Raul Roco Evangelical preacher Eduardo Villanueva Profile: Gloria Arroyo Profile: Fernando Poe Jnr

"Thus even the threat of or the actual use of violence must be bared for what it is - a veil to cover up an insatiable appetite for power."

But sources close to the campaign said corruption was already in full swing.

They told Reuters that candidates for some of the 17,000 regional and government posts up for grabs were offering local powerbrokers cash for every vote they could deliver.

In the race for the top job, Mrs Arroyo is the favourite to win a fresh six-year term.

One of the last opinion polls, by research firm Pulse Asia, predicted that Ms Arroyo would win 37% of the vote compared to 31% for the former screen action hero Mr Poe.

The other three runners - Raul Roco, a former education secretary, former police chief Panfilo Lacson, and Eduardo Villanueva, an evangelist - are expected to split about a third of the votes.

Filipinos will vote on 17,000 regional and parliamentary posts

The campaign has been violent in places - the military says 92 people, including 29 candidates, have been killed - deaths which have been blamed on political squabbles between armed gangs.

That is more than the 87 in the 1998 election but less than the nearly 150 who died in local polls in 1988.

The biggest threat is thought to come from Muslim rebels.

Security forces have arrested suspects and seized explosives in recent weeks, while Manila has been reinforced by 3,000 troops.