The troops were on their way to prepare for a medical mission, according to authorities.

The country’s 41-year communist rebellion is one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies. But the Maoist rebels, who are on a US terrorist blacklist, have become more active in recent months, attacking distant military and police outposts to seize badly needed weapons.

Col. Eliseo Posadas, a local army brigade commander, said the soldiers came under attack shortly after leaving their command post in the capital town of Bontoc in Mountain Province  before noon to coordinate a medical mission scheduled for Saturday.

The rebels seized the firearms of the slain soldiers before fleeing, he added.

Posadas said reinforcement troops backed by armored vehicles and sniffer dogs were pursuing the rebels in the mountainous area.

“We're now searching the area to see if there were casualties on the enemy side,” he added.

Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had ordered the military to crush the rebels by the end of her term on June 30, but the rebellion has raged on past that deadline.

Peace talks stalled in 2004 after the rebels accused the government of instigating their inclusion on US and European terrorist lists. Norway, which brokered the negotiations, has been trying to revive the talks.

In a statement Friday, the Communist Party of the Philippines said guerrillas were willing to resume formal peace talks with the government of President Benigno Aquino III as long as it abides by all previous agreements.

The party rejected a statement Thursday from Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin that rebels should first lay down their arms before talks can proceed.