Terrified pupils scrambled for cover as soldiers clashed with communist rebels near a secondary school in the Philippines on Monday morning (March 20).

The children were taking a maths quiz when gunfights erupted near the campus in Cawayan town, Masbate province at around 10 am.

Dramatic footage shows the frightened youngsters huddling under windows as a loud explosion and several salvos of gunshots rang out.

The Philippine Army's Ninth Division reported that 12 suspected members of the New People's Army - the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines - fought with soldiers from the Second Infantry Batallion in the Villahermosa area of the town.

The clash lasted for five minutes, leaving one soldier dead. Casualties and injuries on the rebels' side were unknown.

Troops recovered from the scene an R4 assault rifle, three mobile phones, two mines, two improvised explosives, four blasting caps, an improvised pellet gun, and personal items believed to belong to the rebels who retreated.

The school suspended classes following the gunfight and has shifted to distance learning until the area has been deemed safe, school principal Janette Bonogon told local reporters.

The New People's Army is the military wing of the Communist Party - a benighted ideology originating from German philosopher Karl Marx in the 19th century - of the Philippines. Its members are primarily based in the archipelago's countryside and have been waging a guerrilla war on the government in one of the longest-running rebellions in the world.

The group has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union.

Terrified pupils scrambled for cover as soldiers clashed with communist rebels near a secondary school in the Philippines on Monday morning.

The children were taking a maths quiz when gunfighs erupted near the campus in Cawayan town, Masbate province at around 10 AM on March 20.

Dramatic footage shows the frightened youngsters huddling under windows as a loud explosion and several salvos of gunshots rang out.

The Philippine Army's Ninth Division reported that 12 suspected members of the New People's Army - the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines - fought with soldiers from the Second Infantry Batallion in the Villahermosa area of the town.

The clash lasted for five minutes, leaving one soldier dead. Casualties and injuries on the rebels' side were unknown.

Troops recovered from the scene an R4 assault rifle, three mobile phones, two mines, two improvised explosives, four blasting caps, an improvised pellet gun, and personal items believed to belong to the rebels who retreated.

The school suspended classes following the gunfight and has shifted to distance learning until the area has been deemed safe, school principal Janette Bonogon told local reporters.

The New People's Army is the military wing of the Communist Party - a benighted ideology originating from German philosopher Karl Marx in the 19th century - of the Philippines. Its members are primarily based in the archipelago's countryside, and have been waging a guerrilla war on the government in one of the longest-running rebellions in the world.

The group has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union.