MANILA, Philippines—What was a government-owned backhoe doing in that killing field?

The Office of the Ombudsman in Mindanao wants to know and is coordinating with the National Bureau and Investigation and other law enforcement agencies probing the massacre, Assistant Ombudsman Jose De Jesus said Wednesday when sought for comment.

Military and police investigators found a backhoe, owned by the Maguindanao provincial government, in the area where victims of the Maguindanao massacre were found. It was apparently used to dig the mass graves.

De Jesus, quoting the Ombudsman's Mindanao office, said: "We really want to find out exactly why a government property is there at the time of the massacre?"

The Ombudsman is tasked to probe and prosecute cases against government officials.

However, before it could step in, the agency had to confirm first that government officials were indeed involved in the brutal killings.

De Jesus said the deputy ombudsman in Mindanao was "aware of the situation."

He said the fact-finding investigators in Mindanao "are interested in this matter," especially in finding out why a piece of government property was found in the crime scene.

He said that if the police investigation would reveal that government officials were behind the massacre, the Ombudsman would mobilize a fact-finding investigation.