document: Suspected communist rebels today killed the police chief of the Philippines ' major financial center in an escalation of street violence sweeping the capital area , police said . Col. Herminio Taylo , 54 , police chief of Makati , had just finished jogging and was buying fruit in a public market when two assassins opened fire with .45 - caliber pistols , police said . He died an hour later in a hospital . Police Sgt. Lydio Zeta quoted witnesses as saying the gunmen shouted `` We are NPAs , '' referring to the rebel New People 's Army , and warned bystanders not to interfere . They fled in a commandeered passenger jeep after taking Taylo 's pistol , Zeta said . Makati , a twin city of Manila with a population of about 440,000 , is the country 's major banking and financial center and is also the home of numerous foreign embassies . Taylo was the 10th soldier or policeman slain in the Manila area in the last two weeks . The military says communist rebels have killed up to 65 soldiers and police in the capital region since January . The New People 's Army also claimed responsibility for the April 21 assassination of U.S. Army Col. James `` Nick '' Rowe , who was slain on his way to work at the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group headquarters in suburban Quezon City . Taylo was slain one day after Brig. Gen. Alexander Aguirre , Capital Region commander , announced formation of a special task force to track down rebel assassins in the capital . President Corazon Aquino deplored the latest killing but said public officials must learn to live with the threat of assassination . She said the government had provided bodyguards to Cabinet members who have requested them or who have received death threats . `` It is really very unfortunate and I do sympathize with the family of Col. Taylo , '' said Mrs. Aquino , whose husband Benigno was slain in a political assassination in 1983 . `` And I hope that this , perhaps , could be a reminder to all our people in the military and police that they should take necessary precautions to ward off these assasination attempts . '' National Security Adviser Rafael Ileto said the killing of Taylo showed that every soldier and policeman was a potential target of assassination . `` This is war and somebody is bound to get hurt in the process , '' Ileto said . `` I 'm sure all the major unit commanders are doing their best not only to protect their men but to counter such acts . '' Despite the escalating violence , Mrs. Aquino said she still plans to go ahead with a visit to Western Europe this month . Mrs. Aquino leaves Saturday for an official visit to West Germany . She will also visit France and Belgium before departing Brussels for home on July 15 .
extractive_keyphrases: political assassination communist rebels philippines assasination attempts rebel assassins police chief street violence makati gunmen
abstractive_keyphrases: col. herminio taylo rebel new people's army