Al-Ghozi was serving a 17-year sentence

Indonesian Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, a convicted bomb-maker and suspected member of the militant group Jemaah Islamiah, broke out from the national police headquarters with two other men on Monday.

The 5m peso bounty for al-Ghozi, and lesser sums for Abdul Edris and Merang Abante, were announced after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the suspension of the three cell guards and an overhaul of the police prison system.

The president has suggested that as there were no signs of a break out, the escapees could have had help.

She said she had asked the interior department to establish a "single, maximum security detention facility" for high-profile detainees.

"Camp Crame (the national police headquarters) is gaining notoriety for its very porous detention centres, and it is becoming hard to believe that these escapes of heinous criminals are the result of ordinary laxity," she said in a public statement.

"We must pin the culprits down and find a permanent solution to this problem."

Embarrassing

So far there have been no reported sightings of the fugitives, despite an intensive security operation.

Interior and Local Governments Secretary Jose Lina told reporters: "This is an inside job and we're looking into all the possible connections of the people who are responsible for the escape."

If you have a gun and you see them, you can shoot them Hermogenes Ebdane Police chief

Jemaah Islamiah has been blamed for last October's Bali bombings, in which more than 200 people died.

"If you have a gun and you see them, you can shoot them," said national police chief Hermogenes Ebdane.

Indonesian police told the French news agency AFP that said they were on heightened alert at airports and sea ports in case the escapees try to enter.

The BBC's John Mclean said the Philippines was an eager ally of the US in its war in terror. But the escape embarrasses the president and damages the nation's reputation as a reliable ally.

The incident came on the day Mrs Arroyo hosted Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who pledged money for counter-terrorism efforts.

Mr Howard told the Asia Society: "Obviously, the escape of three terrorists yesterday here in Manila is a serious setback.

"And it underlines for all of us the need to be vigilant and to strengthen our institutional capacity to deal effectively with terrorism," he said.

Kidnapping link

Al-Ghozi was serving a 17-year sentence in a Manila prison for possessing explosives and obtaining passports fraudulently.

Police say al-Ghozi has also admitted to involvement in a string of deadly bombings in Manila in December 2000 that killed 22 people and injured more than 120.

His confessions have been used to file charges against alleged co-conspirators, including Saifullah Yunos, who pleaded guilty to helping plan the attacks.

Missing prisoner Abante is reported to be a senior member of the Philippines kidnapping group, Abu Sayyaf, who was captured in January.

He was accused of kidnapping American Jeffrey Schilling in 2000, who later escaped.

Edris is also thought to be a member of Abu Sayyaf. He was among several men indicted in the US for alleged involvement in the kidnapping of tourists from a resort in May 2001.