PRESS DIGEST - Philippine newspapers - June 26

MANILA, June 26 (Reuters) - These are the leading stories in Manila newspapers on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories.

- Sulpicio Lines, which owns the sunken Princess of the Stars, has been operating under outdated guidelines governing the movement of ships during bad weather, government investigators learned. (MANILA STANDARD TODAY)

- A consumer group filed a class action suit against Manila Electric Co MERB.PS seeking 13 billion pesos ($292 million) in refunds for fees it said were illegally collected. (MANILA STANDRAD TODAY)

- Fierce fighting erupted between government troops and Muslim rebels in Mindanao with both sides reporting as many as 14 people dead, a spokesman for the rebel group said. (THE MANILA TIMES)

* * * * * * * *

BUSINESS

- Australian miner Oceana Gold Corp OGC.NS is seeking $185 million in additional funds to pursue its Didipio gold-copper project in the Philippines, a company official said in a statement. (PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER)

- Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority approved 85 new projects with investment commitments of $210 million from January to May this year, its chief executive Armand Areza said in a statement. (MANILA STANDARD TODAY, THE PHILIPPINE STAR, PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, THE MANILA TIMES)

- PAL Express, the budget carrier of Philippine Airlines [PHL.UL], is expanding its Cebu network despite soaring jet fuel prices that forced several foreign carriers to trim their operations. (MANILA STANDARD TODAY, MALAYA)

($1 = 44.46 Philippine peso)

(Reporting by Karen Lema)