The 130,000-strong military has been struggling to improve its image after a 2007 UN report blamed soldiers for human rights abuses, including dozens of documented political killings and disappearances of left-wing activists and suspected Maoist rebels, including journalists.

“As a matter of policy, there has to be no physical contact,” Philippine Army commander Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz told reporters in the capital Manila. “We have taken preemptive and proactive measures to instill discipline in the organization.”

Ortiz said the incident, posted on Youtube (www.youtube.com), happened three years ago and soldiers in the video had been disciplined.