Public warned over 'misleading' BARMM peace rally reports

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — An official of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has warned the public against what he described as “fake and misleading” reports on the June 25 peace rally organized by the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP).

Bangsamoro Minister of the Interior and Local Government Jordan Bayam said exaggerated attendance figures and questionable images were being used to distort public perception.

Bayam said reports claiming that about 400,000 people attended the rally were inconsistent with the official crowd estimate of the Philippine National Police, which placed the attendance at around 30,000.

“The public deserves truthful reporting, not exaggerated narratives designed to create a false impression of overwhelming public support,” Bayam said.

According to the minister, the huge discrepancy between the police estimate and the published attendance figure raises serious questions about the credibility of the reports and underscores the importance of relying on official and verifiable information.

Bayam also expressed concern over social media posts that circulated photographs and drone footage purportedly showing a massive crowd during the June 25 gathering.

He alleged that several of the widely shared images appeared to have been taken from the “moral governance and anti-corruption” rally held on June 23 by supporters of a former BARMM official, two days before the UBJP event.

“If verified, using photographs from a different political gathering to portray another event would amount to misleading the public and undermining the integrity of public discourse,” Bayam said.

The minister called on media organizations and social media users to exercise greater responsibility in verifying photographs, videos and attendance figures before publication, particularly amid the increasingly polarized political climate in BARMM. 

Bayam said the spread of misinformation during such a politically sensitive period only serves to deepen public division and distract from pressing governance issues confronting the Bangsamoro government.

He urged both supporters and critics of the regional administration to engage in responsible political discourse anchored on facts rather than propaganda, emphasizing that democratic debate should be guided by transparency, accountability and respect for the truth.

“The people of BARMM are best served when public discussion is based on verified facts instead of manufactured narratives,” Bayam said.

As of press time, organizers of the June 25 peace rally had not publicly responded to Bayam’s statements regarding the attendance figures and the alleged use of misleading images circulating on social media. (Contributed story)