Hundreds of Philippine police and soldiers guarded a Catholic shrine in Manila yesterday in case of large-scale anti-government rallies, just weeks after authorities put down an armed rebellion by renegade soldiers.

Security officials said the deployment at the EDSA shrine, the focus of "people power" revolts that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos and president Joseph Estrada, had begun on Tuesday night.

?These are mere precautionary measures undertaken to anticipate any projected activity,? Defence Secretary Angelo Reyes told reporters.

?There are relentless rumours of another coup attempt,? he added. ?We put people there because there is information they would occupy the EDSA shrine and even adjoining buildings like the Asian Development Bank,? said armed forces chief General Narciso Abaya.

Local television reports said around 1 000 police and about 500 soldiers had encircled the shrine in Ortigas near the central business district of Makati. Supporters of Estrada had used the shrine as a staging point for a failed attack on the presidential palace in May 2001.

Military officials said they had received reports that supporters of Estrada or those of opposition senator Gregorio Honasan may be planning to congregate at the shrine. The government is readying charges against Honasan, whom they accuse of involvement in last month's mutiny.

Along with Honasan, police have linked a mistress of Estrada, Laarni Enriquez, and a former official in his administration, Ramon Cardenas, to the July 27 rebellion.

Estrada, currently being held in a military hospital, is on trial for economic plunder and other crimes. He has strongly denied any involvement in the incident. Honasan, a former army colonel linked to several coup plots in the 1980s, has also denied being involved and has accused the government of fabricating a case against him.