MANILA, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has intensified monitoring measures on possible bird flu presence in the infection-free country after a migratory bird suspected of being a carrier of the virus was found dead last Saturday, local reports said on Tuesday.

    The Philippine health authority said on Tuesday morning that they were still verifying the cautionary report, according to the GMA TV, which also said that no official explanations have been made public on the suspected bird flu case.

    Health officials learned of the death of a heron at a wetland feeding area near Prieto Diaz town, some 390 kilometers southeast of Manila after conducting a heightened information drive among local folk, the report quoted Doctor Eric Tayag, chief of the National Epidemiology Center as saying.

    The information drive, Tayag said, asked residents to report any "suspicious deaths" of fowl and other birds.

    The Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) are jointly conducting investigations on the reported dead heron with other government agencies, Tayag added.

    Local town mayors have been urged to prepare bird flu containment plans to control any possible outbreak, another report by the Inquirer news network quoted Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap as saying.

    The Inquirer report said that towns adjacent to Prieto Diaz have been included into an expanded watch list for bird flu epidemics.

    The Philippines, Singapore and Brunei are the remaining bird flu-free countries in Southeast Asia, a Philippine government report said on Feb. 4.