MANILA - A Philippine team is to leave today to check on the plight of at least 80,000 Filipino illegal migrants awaiting deportation from Sabah amid allegations of abuses by Malaysian authorities, officials said.

President Gloria Arroyo's adviser on Muslim affairs, Nur Jaafar, will lead the delegation, which was formed after Manila filed a diplomatic protest against Kuala Lumpur last week.

Thousands of mostly-Muslim Filipino migrants have arrived in the southern Philippines in recent days after Malaysia introduced last month tough laws against illegal immigrants, with punishments including a mandatory six-month jail term and up to six strokes of the cane.

The mass deportations have triggered public outrage in the Philippines after social workers said at least three Filipino children have died either in Malaysian holding centers or during the long boat journey back to southern Mindanao island.

Malaysia has denied the allegations but agreed to temporarily halt deportations after Arroyo and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad agreed over the weekend to allow the Philippine inspectors to check on their condition.