Captain Reynaldo Aragones, an army infantry spokesman, said the rebels "were extorting money and food, and the responding soldiers were hit by the blasts."

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He said soldiers were still searching the remote area for insurgents.

Samar is one of the few remaining strongholds of the New People's Army, the armed unit of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which has waged a guerilla campaign for half a century.

President Rodrigo Duterte, a self-proclaimed leftist, initially enjoyed support from the party's founder, Jose Maria Sison, who is in exile in Europe.

Sison taught Duterte when he was in college, and many had initially thought that their connection would lead to an end to an insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and stunted the growth of the countryside.

But Duterte abruptly called off talks with the Communists in 2017, accusing them of continuing to attack government positions despite the peace efforts.

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He has dared Sison to come home and personally talk peace with him. But Sison rebuffed the offer, saying he faced arrest if he set foot in the Philippines. The president then declared a termination of the peace process until his term ends in 2022.