Philippine and US officials will begin preliminary search on the possible locations of the remains of some 80 American soldiers who have been prisoners of war (POW) or have been missing in action (MIA) in the Philippines during World War II, US Embassy in Manila said Friday.

The joint investigations, which will begin this week, is an offshoot of the agreement signed on June 3, 2011 between the two allies "to collaborate in researching, investigating, recovering, and conducting forensic reviews" of remains of American soldiers, said the embassy sources.

Honolulu-based Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) will work with the Philippine authorities to locate the unaccounted soldiers, the embassy said.

"A nine-member investigation team will work with Philippine partners to authenticate leads from eyewitnesses and conduct field research at numerous locations throughout the Philippines to determine whether a return visit for excavation is merited," it said in a statement.

"These investigations have the potential to bring long desired closure for the families of American service members who went missing while serving their country in the Second World War," said Brian Goldbeck,charge d'affaires of the embassy.