DAVAO CITY, Philippines -- A military official claimed on Wednesday that non-government organizations and other aid groups are considering "slowing down" the delivery of food to conflict-ridden areas of Mindanao following reports some of the assistance allegedly found its way into rebel hands.

But the United Nations? World Food Program (WFP) denied any such plan.

Brigadier General Gaudencio Pangilinan, chief of the Armed Forces' Civil Relations Service, claimed humanitarian groups like the WFP had already agreed to slow down their food aid.

But Stephen Anderson, WFP country director for the Philippines, said: "That's news to me. I would like to see more context in that statement, otherwise, I don't want to comment further. I need more details to react to that."

Anderson said they "don't have the plan to slow down" food delivery. In fact, "We are sustaining food support in response to the continuing needs on the ground," he said.

Pangilinan made his claim while being interviewed by reporters at the Grand Regal Hotel here, where humanitarian groups and government agencies were holding a closed-door planning-workshop on the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

It was during the interview that Pangilinan claimed some of the food reached the Moro Islamic Liberation Front through relatives of the rebels.

"It's just a small portion, and more on the Lanao side," Pangilinan said.

"Some NGOs are suggesting to control [the] distribution and limit the supplies [delivered to] two or three days, perhaps, but these are still on the level of suggestions," he said.

Eid Kabalu, civil-military affairs chief of the MILF, said he doubted aid groups thought up the idea of controlling food assistance to evacuees.

"The military has long wanted to cut off food to the evacuees and has actually been restricting the flow of assistance to some areas," he said.

Pangilinan said the military did not take part in the monitoring and distribution of food aid, even if soldiers are required to escort and provide "security."

"They [NGOs] will closely monitor which areas the food shall go, what to do, how long they can sustain it, the quantity they're going to distribute," he said.

Pangilinan said the military was not surprised about food aid going to the hands of the rebels because "it happens everywhere."

"They're relatives that?s why. You can't help it, that?s Filipino," he said.

Asked to comment on reports that the rebels received a portion of the food assistance, Anderson acknowledged having been told about this.

But he said the WFP had "every indication that the food support we are providing the civilian IDPs on the ground have reached their target."

"We monitor, following distribution, that the right people are targeted. We're confident that our system is working," he said.

Anderson said the WFP assisted 60,000 internal refugees in December alone.

Pangilinan said based on their monitoring, the number of refugees in Maguindanao, Lanao and North Cotabato has gone down from a high of 27,000 families in August to 20,000 families.