Manila - A village chieftain and his companion were killed by three suspected communist rebels in an eastern Philippine city, a police report said Saturday.

Manolo Basilan and companion Jessie Briones were riding a motorcycle when the gunmen fired at them on Friday in Herrera village in Ligao City in Albay province, 315 kilometres south-east of Manila.

Basilan, president of village chieftains association in Ligao City, and Briones died on the spot from gunshot wounds.

Basilan's family said the attackers might have been communist guerrillas who had warned Basilan against running in the village elections last year.

A few hours after the killing, communist guerrillas also attacked four telecommunications towers in nearby Legazpi City and Sorsogon province, but there were no reported casualties.

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