PHL warns against terror claims

THE Philippines on Monday warned that unverified reports linking Mindanao to terrorism after the deadly shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach risks reviving outdated stereotypes about a region that has undergone years of peacebuilding and economic recovery.

In a statement, Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. said suggestions that Mindanao served as a “terror hotspot” based on the alleged travel history of the perpetrators were unsupported by intelligence and unfair to local communities.

Not only are these claims not validated, he said, these are also “deeply unjust to the peace-loving people of Mindanao.”

“Such narratives ignore the monumental strides we have made in transforming the region from a theater of conflict into a bastion of peace and development.”

Last Dec. 14, a father and son opened fire at the Australian landmark, killing 15 people during Hanukkah. Australian police earlier said that the two suspected gunmen behind the country’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades had previously visited Davao City in Mindanao, Philippines, and may have drawn inspiration from Muslim extremist groups.

Mindanao, once the center of a decades-long separatist conflict, has seen a sharp decline in violence following the implementation of peace agreements and the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The government said former combatants have been reintegrated into civilian life, and development indicators have improved alongside greater security. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana