A town mayor and his two bodyguards were killed after 15 armed men clad in police uniform attacked a town hall in northern Philippines on Monday morning, a military official said.

Calito Pentecostes, Jr., mayor of Gonzaga town in Cagayan province, and his two bodyguards died on the spot, said Maj. Emmanuel Garcia, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) 1st Civil Relations Group.

Garcia said gunmen aboard two vans staged the attack on the town hall of Gonzaga during the flag-raising ceremony at around 7: 30 a.m. Monday.

He said police and soldiers from the 502nd Infantry Brigade are now pursuing the suspects.