Former Air Transportation Office (ATO) chief Panfilo Villaruel and a Navy lieutenant, Ricardo Gatchalian, who took over the control tower by force shortly after midnight Saturday, were killed by the police in a firefight to retake the tower, airport police chief Angel Atutubo said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said in a statement issued later that she was glad the incident was finally over and that "the nature, course and magnitude (of the incident) was not an attempt to take over the government."

"Our airport is safe and sound," she said, assuring the public that all airport services continue uninterrupted, alternate control tower facilities established, and flights operating as scheduled.

As a precautionary measure, security forces were put on high alert.

Checkpoints and security monitoring posts are up in key provinces and urban centers, Arroyo said, even as she asked the public to "bear with the temporary inconveniences" as the government moves to bring the situation to a complete resolution.

The take-over came amid a mounting constitutional crisis and warnings of a possible coup attempt following moves by members of the House of Representatives to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide, who was accused of misusing government funds.

Atutubo said Villaruel ordered workers on duty at the control tower to vacate the place at gunpoint. They said Villaruel, who headed the ATO during former President Fidel Ramos's term, looked depressed and claimed he made the move to "fight rampant graft and corruption prevailing at NAIA."

A police team stormed the control tower at around 3:30 am (1930GMT Friday) after a loud explosion and exchange of gunfire. Villaruel and his aide were allegedly armed with handguns, grenades and explosives.

NAIA General Manager Edgar Manda declared about 20 minutes later that airport operations had returned to normal and that the airport was expecting its first international flight for the day, even as security personnel were combing the area for possible booby traps that may have been planted.

Manda said, however, that pilots could divert their flights to other Philippine airports at their discretion. Flights coming into Manila had earlier been diverted to either the airport in the central city of Cebu or the airport in Clark, north of Manila.

Initial reports said 12 men had entered the control tower. Manda later said at least three armed men led by Villaruel had seized the tower. But Senior Superintendent Andres Caro, who led the team that retook the tower, said only Villaruel and Gatchalian were involved.

National Capital Region Police Office chief Reynaldo Velasco told GMA Network television that the takeover was an isolated incident and the situation around the capital was normal without any unusual movement of troops.

President Arroyo warned Friday that her administration would use the full force of the law to stop some groups trying to overthrow her government illegally by taking advantage of the standoff between the Congress and the judiciary over the bid to impeach Davide. She didn't identify those groups.

Earlier this week, the president had placed the military on high alert to head off possible "destabilization" attempts amid the constitutional crisis but lifted the alert status on Friday, saying the situation was under control.

(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2003)