Lamy, the WTO director general, was invited by Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, whose government is hosting a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and related meetings in Cebu province south of Manila.

The Geneva-based Lamy is scheduled to meet with the Asean leaders on Monday, senior Filipino diplomat Luis Cruz said.

Lamy has been doing the rounds of international meetings to gather support for a resumption of the Doha Round of WTO talks, which bogged down in July due to a dispute among major players over agricultural subsidies.

Last month, he met with foreign and trade ministers and addressed top business executives on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting in Hanoi and cited an "urgent need" to restart the talks.

Pacific rim leaders issued a strong statement calling for an immediate resumption of the negotiations and that they were ready to make further concessions from their current positions.

The Doha round began in the Qatari capital at the end of 2001, aiming to reduce subsidies, tariffs and other barriers to commerce and raising living standards in developing countries.

But the talks have been dogged by disputes between rich and poor nations, as well as among wealthy players, over what concessions are required.

A compromise among trade heavyweights is seen as the key to unlocking the round.