Manila - Communist rebels executed a pro-government militiaman in the southern Philippines, a military official said Saturday, as security forces went on high alert on the anniversary of the underground movement's armed wing. Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Santiago said the victim, who was also a village chief, was shot dead on Friday near his home in Monkayo town in Compostela Valley province, 930 kilometres south of Manila.
Santiago said some 30 rebels swooped down on the house of the victim and took three assault rifles and several handheld radios. The rebels then took the victim and shot him about 100 metres away from his home.
The New Peoples' Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, celebrates its 39th anniversary on Saturday.
In a statement ahead of the anniversary, the communist leadership urged the NPA to intensify attacks on military and police targets as part of an effort to oust President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.
