Manila  - Communist rebels torched a telecommunications tower in the eastern Philippines, but no one was hurt in the attack, an army spokesman said Monday.

Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres said about 20 rebels swooped down on the Globe Telecoms compound in a village in Irosin town in Sorsogon province, 375 kilometres south-east of Manila, on Sunday.

The rebels set on fire the control room of the tower and seized a 38-caliber pistol, a two-way radio and a mobile phone from the compound's security guard.

Torres said there were no reported casualties in the attack, but the tower and the control room were badly damaged.

Communist rebels have been fighting the government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia. (dpa)