LEGASPI, PHILIPPINES - Suspected communist insurgents shot dead a former policeman running for local office in the Philippines' May elections after he defied their extortion attempt, the military said Friday.

Four alleged New People's Army (NPA) gunmen killed Ponciano Numeron, 50, after he refused to pay for a 'permit to campaign' that would have ensured his safety from rebel attack while canvassing for votes, a military report said.

The suspects escaped. The victim was standing for the municipal council of Pasacao, on the Bicol peninsula southeast of Manila.

The report quoted friends of the deceased as saying Numeron had refused to give in to the NPA's demands.

Last month, the military reported that it had confiscated dozens of 'permit to campaign' cards that the NPA rebels were selling to candidates. The permits were being sold at rates that varied according to the position being contested. Candidates for congress were being charged as much as 2.2 million pesos ($66,660). Those who do not pay risk being attacked.

The Communist Party of the Philippines and its guerrilla arm, the NPA, have been waging a campaign in the Philippines since 1969.

The military said in December it had reduced the territory under the Maoists' control, freeing four central islands for the first time in decades and reducing the guerrillas to below 5,000 from a peak of 26,000 in 1987.