FACT CHECK: Pikit in North Cotabato not a ‘ghost town’ – mayor

A post on Facebook that Pikit town in North Cotabato province has turned into a ghost town, or deserted, due to the worsening peace and order condition is not true.

Pikit Mayor Sumulong Sultan noted the false information was aimed at destroying the town’s image under his leadership.

“Walang katotohan at fake news yan. Nandito naman kami – ang ating kasundaluhan, andito ang ating kapulisan para tingnan ang kapayapaan dito (There’s no truth to it and that’s a fake news. We are here – our soldiers and the police to see to it that we have peace),” the mayor told the Oblates-owned Notre Dame Broadcasting Corp. 

“We are business as usual,” he added.

Major Maxim Peralta, Pikit police chief, also disputed that the municipality has become a ghost town.

Instead of spreading unverified information, it would be better to help work for peace, the police officer said.

Peralta admitted the local police force lack manpower to fully secure the town, a first-class municipality with a population of at least 164,646 individuals. 

Denz Vlog, which is followed by at least 5,270 Facebook users, posted on August 29 photos of deserted streets with the caption:

“Bayan ng Pikit, North Cotabato ganito na po. Wala na pong tao dahil sa araw-araw na may pinapatay. Sana po maayos na po ang kaguluhan na to.” (The town of Pikit in North Cotabato is like this. It is deserted by people because of the daily killings. Hoping this problem will be solved.)

Sultan admitted the town is hounded by peace and order issues, including killing, but noted the local government unit has been addressing it.

However, the killings did not happen daily, contrary to the false Facebook post. 

In August, at least eight individuals were separately killed in the locality, which authorities blamed on “rido” or clan war.

Authorities intervene after 4 killed in ‘rido’ in North Cotabato

https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/08/28/news/regions/four-men-killed-in-a-pikit-ambush/1856289

Sultan convened an emergency meeting of the Municipal Peace and Order Council to address the killings on August 27. It was attended by Sangguniang Bayan members, barangay captains and the police and military. 

A succeeding meeting with the commanders of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), was also called by the local government unit.

One of the parties in the rido involved a commander of the MILF-BIAF 105^th Base Command, according to Sultan’s Facebook page.

Pikit is one of the towns in North Cotabato ravaged by the war waged then by the MILF against the government for the right to self-determination of the Moros in Mindanao. Major wars between the government and MILF forces broke out in Pikit in 1997, 2000, 2001 and 2003, displacing tens of thousands of civilians. The two parties signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014 after 17 years of peace negotiations.

As with all our other reports, MindaNews welcomes leads or suggestions from the public to potential fact-check stories. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)

(This fact-check piece was produced with the support of Internews’ Philippine Fact-Checker Incubator Project.)