Manila - A town official was killed by suspected communist rebels in a southern Philippine town, the latest attack against civilians in the area, a military report said Saturday.

Noli Llanos, 47, an elected town councillor, was killed Friday by motorcycle-riding gunmen suspected to be communist rebels in Nabunturan town in Compostela Valley province, 930 kilometres south of the capital Manila.

The report said police were still investigating the motive behind the attack.

The killing of Llanos came a day after communist guerrillas lobbed a hand grenade at a busy bakery shop in Nabunturan which left four people dead and 11 wounded.

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