Philippine Troops, Rebels Clash; 13 Die

MANILA — Philippine troops battled Communist insurgents Saturday in fierce fighting that raged for 15 hours and left at least 13 dead, military authorities said.

The fighting took place in the village of San Juan near the town of Samal in Bataan province, according to military and news reports. Members of the Communist New People’s Army also reportedly attacked the town halls in Pilar and Orion, both of which are about 30 miles west of the capital across Manila Bay.

Meantime, about 800 supporters of President Corazon Aquino marched through central Manila to the armed forces headquarters on the city’s outskirts to demonstrate their resolve to resist any repetition of last month’s coup attempt, which left 53 people dead and 260 wounded.

Heeding a call by Aquino on Thursday for civilians to rally behind her but at the same time to reconcile with the military, several hundred members of the Coalition for Peace lit candles at dusk and marched a mile and a half to Camp Aguinaldo in what they called a procession for peace and democracy.