Three soldiers and an undetermined number of communist rebels were killed in separate clashes in the southern and central Philippines on Saturday, officials said yesterday. Troops clashed with the New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas late Saturday afternoon in Singalat village in Calamba, Misamis Occidental, killing a still undetermined number of insurgents, said Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon, commander of the Philippine Army’s 1st Infantry Division. He said the soldiers pounced on rebels in their lair following a tip-off by villagers. He said there were no casualties on the military side. “We still cannot say how many insurgents were killed and wounded, but troops are pursuing those who escaped. In Cebu province in central Philippines, rebels swooped down on an army detachment near the hinterland village of Sumon in the town of Tuburan late Saturday and killed three soldiers, police said. Military spokesman Col. Tristan Kison said about 30 guerrillas mingled with a crowd in a public market in the village, then walked slowly toward an army detachment before opening fire, killing three of four soldiers. They fled with eight assault rifles from the detachment and were being pursued by army troops, the spokesman said. Eight other soldiers left the detachment hours before the attack to hold regular security consultations with residents of another village, Kison said. The place of attack was about 96 kilometers northwest of Cebu City, police said. The military blamed NPA leader Roy Erecre for the attack. It said the soldiers were involved in humanitarian missions in Tuburan town.