Three people, including a soldier, were killed when suspected communist New People's Army (NPA) attacked a community in Agusan del Norte on Saturday, military said on Sunday.

Lieutenant Colonel Glenn Joy Aynera, commanding officer or the 29th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, accused the leftist rebels of violating the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect to Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) for swooping down a community located at Sitio Sarog, Barangay San Isidro, Santiago town.

“This is a clear violation of the CARHRIHL which is duly signed by the GPH (Government of the Philippines) and NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippines) in 1998 at The Hague, The Netherlands that civilian population and civilians shall be distinguished from combatants and, together with their property, shall not be the object of attack. They shall likewise be protected against indiscriminate strafing," Aynera said in a statement.

He said the soldiers went to the area to address the need of the community regarding the presence of the extortionist-terrorist group.

"There is a situation in that community that needs to be addressed that is why I have sent my soldiers to secure the people against these NPAs," he said.

At around 4:30am on Saturday, troops reached the community and confirmed from some of the locals the presence of the group when around 10 fully-armed NPA members opened fire against them.

The firefight lasted for 10-minutes resulting to the death of two unidentified civilians and one soldier.

Three civilians were also wounded and were immediately assisted by the government troops as they secured the area.

"We condemn their atrocious act which claimed the lives of two innocent civilians, and seriously wounding three others. We are also deeply saddened for the lost of one of our comrades. Rest assured we will always continue to conduct peace and security operations to ensure the safety and security of the people in Agusan del Norte,” he said.

In a separate report, Captain Rhyan Batchar, chief of the public affairs office of the 10th Infantry Division, said that six "new recruits" of the NPA were arrested on Sunday in Sarangani province.

Five of the rebels were armed with high powered weapons when arrested during hot pursuit operations, he said.

The peace process between the Duterte administration and the NDFP is now stalled amid the termination of the respective unilateral ceasefires of both sides. Ella Dionisio/DMS