World Notes THE PHILIPPINES

In the past two years the Philippine government has supported scores of right- wing vigilante groups in their war against the Communist guerrillas of the New People's Army. Among them are Protestants in the tiny village of Rano in the southern Philippines, most of whom belong to a paramilitary cult that refused to pay "revolutionary taxes" to N.P.A. Last week, as Sunday-morning services began, vengeful N.P.A. guerrillas sprayed the chapel with 970 rounds from M-14s. At least 40 people were killed, including eleven children and two pregnant women. The rebels also stole the collection, about $32.

Brigadier General Mariano Baccay, the government's regional commander, described the massacre as the "worst ever" perpetrated by the N.P.A. against civilians. While it may have been a desperate measure by the guerrillas, who have lost the military initiative in the rural south, officials in Manila fear that the N.P.A. may soon begin an assassination campaign in major Philippine cities.