Zamboanga City, Philippines - Two people were killed in a clash between government troops and communist rebels in the southern Philippines, the military said Tuesday.

Major General Jogy Leo Fojas, an army division chief, said the firefight occurred on Monday in Laak town in Compostela Valley province, 930 kilometres south of Manila.

He said the soldiers encountered about 50 communist guerrillas while they were searching for a junior army officer believed abducted by the rebels last week.

One communist rebel and one government militiaman were killed in the two-hour fighting, Fojas said.

The junior officer, Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo, went missing last Friday after a clash with communist rebels in nearby Monkayo town. Three troops were also killed in that fighting.

Cammayo is believed to have been held captive by the guerrillas, but the rebels have so far not issued any statements about his condition.

Communist rebels have in the past abducted soldiers and policemen, most of whom were freed unharmed after negotiations by local politicians.

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