Army men loot house in Zambo
The Guingona family's house along Martha Drive in Zamboanga City was ransacked.
It stood some meters away from the conflict zone between government troops and members of the Nur Misuari faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Documents, shelves, and cabinets were in complete disarray. Doors were forcibly opened. There was also an obvious attempt to open the safety vault.
It looked as though tornado had gone through the inside of the house, as Councilor BG Guingona, whose uncle owns the house, described the scene.
It was not MNLF guerillas who broke in, but four Army soldiers.
The councilor said: "We even give food to these soldiers, tapos ito ang kapalit[and this is how they repay us]."
Pieces of jewelry, watches, cash, and two high-powered firearms were confirmed to be missing.The Guingonas are still thankful, though, as it was also men in uniform who stood as witnesses to the incident – members of the 3rd Marine Batallion landing team who took photos and videos as the looting happened.
Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, Public Affairs chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who was still in the besieged city, said: "We apologize for what happened... Rest assured, the act of four, four individuals, does n
ot reflect whole organization of Armed Forces of the Philippines, and most especially it does not reflect the very soldiers who are risking their lives fighting here."
The Army personnel involved had put into the stockade of the Western Mindanao Command in Camp Navarro to await a court martial.
So far, only the firearms have been recovered.
