OPAPRU rejects terror hotspot tag on Mindanao amid Bondi beach shooters' visit

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) has rejected reports tagging Mindanao as a “terror hotspot” following the visit of the two gunmen in the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Sydney, Australia to the Philippines prior to the incident.

In a press statement, OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. extended his condolences to the kin of the Bondi beach shooting victims, as he called on international media to exercise “discernment and responsibility” in their reportage.

“We must firmly address and reject the misleading insinuations branding Mindanao as a ‘terror hotspot’ following reports regarding the perpetrators’ travel history,” Galvez said.

“These claims are not only unvalidated by intelligence, but it is 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,” he added.

Earlier, immigration authorities confirmed that the two suspects in the mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach visited the Philippines last month.

They arrived on November 1 and both reported Davao as their final destination. They left on November 28 on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination.

Police authorities abroad are reportedly investigating why the pair traveled to the Philippines.

On December 14, gunmen opened fire at a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people. The death toll climbed to 16 after one of the gunmen was killed.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., meanwhile, rejected “in the strongest terms the recent misleading claims that portray our country as a training hotspot for terrorism.”

“We call upon the international media to exercise discernment and responsibility. Branding an entire region based on the transient movements of individuals creates dangerous generalizations that unfairly stigmatize a population that has sacrificed so much for stability,” Galvez said.

He added: “Let us not allow unverified reporting to undermine our hard-won gains or sow division. We must focus on healing and reconciliation, ensuring that our shared future is built on truth and the protection of our common humanity.” — JMA, GMA Integrated News