Manila  - Communist rebels Monday ransacked a police station in an eastern Philippine town and seized several firearms, an army brigade commander said.

No casualties were reported in the raid on the police station, which was located inside the municipal hall compound of the town Panukulan in Quezon province, 105 kilometres east of Manila.

Colonel Tristan Kison said about 30 to 40 heavily armed rebels, wearing army uniforms, swooped down on the police station and disarmed the officers who were not able to fight back.

"The rebels carted away six pistols and two long firearms," he said.

Kison said that as the rebels were fleeing on foot, they burned down a telecommunications tower about 100 metres from the police station.

"We are already conducting pursuit operations," he said.

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)