Four communist rebels were killed in two days of fighting with government troops in the southern Philippine town, local officials and a military spokesman said Sunday, dpa reported.
Nearly 200 civilians fled their homes when the fighting erupted Friday in Veruela town in the southern province of Agusan Del Sur, according to Major Armand Rico, a regional military spokesman.
He said the fighting, which lasted until Saturday, resulted in the killing of four rebels, while one soldier was hurt.
The fighting started when 60 communist rebels attacked a military outpost in the village of Katipunan late Friday, according to Ferdinand Perez, provincial information officer.
Troops caught up with the fleeing guerrillas in the adjacent village of La Fortuna, triggering more firefights.
Last weekend, nine communist rebels and two policemen were killed when the guerrillas attacked two police stations in nearby Surigao del Norte province.
Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.