MANILA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Leftist rebels have abducted an army soldier and a militiaman in the southern Philippines, local military said on Monday.

Army spokesman Capt. Rayboy Ibanes said the victims, unarmed and wearing civilian clothes, were aboard a motorcycle when snatched by New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Mati City, capital of the province of Davao Oriental, around 5:00 p.m. local time on Sunday.

They were heading back to a military base after facilitating the distribution of school bags to poor school students in Tarragon town nearby Davao Oriental.

Ibanes said the victims were stopped by NPA rebels, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, who set up a road block in the highway.

A team of soldiers has been deployed to find the kidnap victims.

The kidnapping occurred while preparations are underway to restart the on-and-off talks to end the decades-old leftist insurgency in the Philippines.