The Marines were part of a military detail securing the village on the main southern island of Mindanao.

Arroyo was to check on relief work for evacuees of fighting between troops and Muslim rebels later Tuesday. It was not immediately clear if the visit would go ahead.

The landmine exploded about a kilometer (0.62 miles) away from a helipad where Arroyo was to land.

"We wouldn't want to speculate on who planted the mine," military southern command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Danile Lucero said.

A military source however said the landmine might have been planted by members of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been waging a rebellion in the south.

The government has filed charges against top MILF leaders for two bombings in Mindanao that claimed 39 lives and injured more than 200 others this year.

SPACE.WIRE