Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Carlito Galvez Jr. on Monday in Manila rejected reports that linked Mindanao in the southern Philippines to the Bondi, Australia tragedy by branding the region a “terror hotspot,” saying the claims lacked validation and misrepresented the area’s current situation.
Galvez said the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru) extended its sympathies to the families of those who died in the Bondi incident and expressed solidarity with the people of Australia.
He said the Philippine government called for global healing and a renewed commitment to the sanctity of human life in response to the violence in Bondi.
Galvez said he dismissed as unjust and misleading the insinuations that associated Mindanao with terrorism based on reported travel history of alleged perpetrators.
He said those narratives ignored what he described as “monumental strides” in turning Mindanao from a “theater of conflict” into a “bastion of peace and development.”
Galvez cited President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s earlier statement, in which the President rejected what he called “misleading claims” that portrayed the Philippines as a “training hotspot for terrorism.”
He said Año pointed out that the reported length of stay of the individuals in the Philippines would not have allowed meaningful or structured training.
Galvez said Mindanao’s present identity resulted from the implementation of peace agreements, the reintegration of former combatants and progress under the Bangsamoro peace process.
He said the Bangsamoro peace process enabled Mindanao to move away from its previous image and emerge as a land of fulfillment and economic growth.
