An Italian volunteer worker kidnapped earlier by an unidentified group in the southern Philippines has been released, the Philippine military said Wednesday.

Andrea Cianferoni, program director of an Italian non-governmental organization (NGO) who was kidnapped Tuesday in the southern Philippine province of Lanao del Norte, has been "recovered"unharmed by the military, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieut. Gen. Efren Abu told reporters.

He said the Italian who is affiliated with the NGO Movimondo was freed at 10 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) and is now in the southern city of Iligan.

Movimondo, which is funded by donations from the European Union (EU), the Italian government, the United Nations and wealthy benefactors, engages in health care, humanitarian aid, job creation and skills training in poverty-stricken areas.

However, Abu could not provide details on Cianferoni's condition and did not say if Andrea Cianferoni was rescued or a ransom was paid.

A report of the local ABS-CBN news channel attributed the release mainly to negotiation efforts, adding military operations are still ongoing to pursue the kidnappers.

According to the report, the military has confirmed that the kidnapping was not made by the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been fighting to set up a separate Islamic state in the southern island of Mindanao since 1978.

A marine military official has said earlier that relatives of a MILF leader are believed to be behind the latest kidnapping incident, which was denied by the MILF.

The MILF is expected to begin peace talks with the Philippine government within the year.