KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato -- Five suspected Moro rebels, including a field commander, were killed on Friday as they clashed with armed T'boli natives in Lake Sebu town in South Cotabato, police said Saturday.

Senior Superintendent Robert Kiunisala, South Cotabato police director, told the Inquirer that native inhabitants of Sitio (sub-village) Kitae, Barangay (village) Ned, clashed for 30 minutes with 60 MILF rebels they sighted in their community shortly before 5 p.m.

The police official said armed T'boli natives were patrolling their village when they chanced upon guerrillas of MILF's 104th and 107th Base Commands from Palimbang town in Sultan Kudarat.

No casualties were reported on the T’boli side.

Kiunisala said a rebel commander, identified only as Lumontod, and four of his followers, were killed in the fighting based on witnesses' accounts.

"We have no police in the area. The inhabitants there are arming themselves just to protect their villages (in the event) MILF rebels will carry out attacks," Kiunisala said.