Manila - Philippine troops killed one communist rebel in a clash in an eastern province, the military said Sunday.

The firefight erupted Saturday in the village of Burgos in Casiguran town, Sorsogon province, 375 kilometres south-east of Manila.

A military report said soldiers were on patrol when they encountered a group of about 15 communist rebels, triggering the clash.

Troops recovered the body of the slain rebel as well as one rifle and an improvised landmine, the report added.

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