Manila  - Three communist rebels were killed on Friday in a clash with government troops in an eastern Philippine province, a military report said.

The soldiers were on patrol when they encountered a group of about 20 guerrillas in Alayao village, Capalonga town in Camarines Norte province, 165 kilometres south-east of Manila.

"The firefight lasted for 30 minutes, which resulted to the killing of three rebels and the recovery of two M14 rifles and one M16 rifle," the report said.

There was no casualty on the government side, it added.

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