MANILA, Philippines – Communist guerrillas staged another round of ambushes Thursday (May 9th) ahead of next week's elections, killing three security personnel and wounding eight others, AFP reported.

New People's Army (NPA) rebels attacked a government convoy that was delivering election equipment to a rugged area near the northern city of Tabuk, killing two soldiers, unit commander Colonel Roger Salvador said.

"They did not manage to get any of the (voting) machines, but the escorts got hit," he added, referring to scanners that will help tally votes at nearly 37,000 polling precincts. The ambush wounded six other military escorts.

NPA rebels ambushed a second convoy delivering scanners near the eastern town of Ragay at dawn, killing a member of a local militia force and wounding two soldiers who were also part of the security team escorting the convoy.

In all, 60 people have been killed ahead of the May13th elections.