MANILA, Philippines?Military officials on Friday disputed reports that soldiers had ransacked and looted homes and shops in a barangay in Maguindanao, claiming that the ones responsible were the ?lawless groups? of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front that had occupied Barangay Dapiawan, Datu Saudi town, before the soldiers arrived to liberate it from the rebels.

?There was an inaccuracy in the report and it might not have been able to present the whole picture,? said Brig. Gen. Jorge Segovia, acting chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) command center.

Quoting field commanders in the area, Segovia said the media members who interviewed the residents of the barangay for the story about the alleged looting had also talked to the town mayor and other barangay residents who said government troops were not responsible.

Checking report?s veracity

But somehow, these interviews absolving the military of culpability were never aired or printed, Segovia said.

AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres Jr. said the military was checking the ?veracity of the report.?

?Our troops are constantly reminded of the rules of engagement and observance of human rights. Any AFP personnel found to have deviated from this will be investigated and prosecuted,? he said.

Col. Marlou Salazar, commander of the 601st Infantry Brigade in Maguindanao, is positive it was not his men who ransacked the village.

?We distributed 150 sacks of sinandomeng rice to our troops when this offensive began. They don?t need to do that (looting). Who are the ones hungry when they first got there?? Salazar said, referring to the rebels.

He said soldiers know that if they commit any infractions, they would be dismissed.

Salazar noted that there had been three days of intense fighting in the village before the government troops moved in to drive away the MILF rebels.

He said the villagers were then allowed to return, accompanied by the village watchmen, the police and the Cafgu. They saw the damage brought on by the heavy fighting, he said.

Salazar said accountability for any looting is always difficult to establish, especially if there had been days of fighting.

He said soldiers were used to being blamed for criminal acts because residents know that they can demand payment from the government and the military.

?Can they ask the MILF or their neighbors to pay up?? he said. Nikko Dizon