Manila  - A leftist farmer-activist was killed Saturday in a town just outside the Philippine capital in the latest of a series of attacks against political activists in the country, a local human rights group said.

Wilfredo Gonzales, 52, was driving a truck along a highway in Calatagan town in Batangas province, 120 kilometres south of Manila, when two motorcycle-riding gunmen fired at the vehicle, according to Karapatan, a Philippine non-governmental organization.

Gonzales, a member of a leftist farmer organization in Calatagan, and his unidentified companion were killed on the spot due to gunshot wounds, Karapatan added.

Police investigators are still determining the motive behind the crime but Karapatan said the attack could be related to a land reform dispute.

Karapatan said it recorded close to 1,000 political killings, most of the victims being leftist activists, since President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took office in January 2001. Most of the killings remain unresolved. (dpa)