FACT CHECK: No order from Cagayan de Oro mayor Uy banning Muslims from schools

The city’s public information office has directly flagged the quote card, which circulated following a school shooting in Zamboanga City, as fake

AT A GLANCE

• Cagayan de Oro Mayor Rolando Uy did not issue an order banning Muslims from schools, as claimed in a viral graphic.
• The claim was debunked by the Cagayan de Oro City Information Office and GMA Super Radyo Davao, which confirmed the quote was fabricated.
• The false information circulated following a school shooting incident in Zamboanga City, but no official directive targeting Muslim students was issued.

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Claim: In reaction to the Ateneo de Zamboanga school shooting, Cagayan de Oro Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy has issued an order banning Muslims from entering schools in the city.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim, posted on August 19, circulated as a graphic styled to resemble a GMA Super Radyo Davao news card. It shows Uy’s photo with the quote overlay and credits “GMA News.”

The graphic is featured in a post by Facebook page “CDO Local News,” carrying the headline “Mayor Klarex, giingong nagmando nga dili sa pasudlon ang mga Muslim sa mga eskwelahan sa CDO.” 

(Mayor Klarex allegedly ordered that Muslims not be allowed into CDO schools.)

It purports to show the mayor’s reaction to the school shooting incident in Zamboanga City. Uy supposedly said, “Gimanduan nako ang mga teachers nga dili sa ipasulod ang mga Muslim sa atong mga skwelahan sa CDO.” 

(I have instructed the teachers not to allow Muslims to enter our schools in CDO.)

The post elaborated that the order was meant to be temporary alongside calls for tighter school security.

A separate post sharing the same graphic featured a lengthy appeal urging Uy not to discriminate against Muslims. 

Together, both posts have garnered over 2,900 reactions, 1,500 comments, and 2,300 shares, and continue to be reshared by social media users.

The facts: No GMA News broadcast, transcript, or report from any credible media outlet contains the quote attributed to Uy about the Zamboanga shooting.

The Cagayan de Oro City Information Office directly addressed the claim in a “Fake Post, Fake Page Alert” post. It said a troll page critical of Uy’s administration had circulated the post to “deceive the public, spread false information, and damage the reputation” of the mayor and city hall staff. 

The office urged residents to verify claims through official sources, including the City Information Office and the Office of the City Mayor.

Meanwhile, GMA Super Radyo Davao also said that the circulating publication material was fabricated.

The Zamboanga shooting: The fake quote card circulated following a fatal shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University on August 18, when a junior high school student shot and killed a classmate before taking his own life. Zamboanga City suspended classes and declared a Day of Mourning following the incident. (READ: A month after first shooter drill, school shooting hits AdZU)

There is no record of city or national officials issuing any directive targeting Muslim students in response to the shooting.

To date, the only documented controversy involving a public official centered on Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, who drew criticism after saying some teachers “sometimes teach their students how to be disrespectful” while discussing the incident. 

Teachers’ groups called the remarks insulting and demanded an apology, but Castro clarified that her comments had been taken out of context, stressing that she was not blaming teachers for the incident of school violence.

Fake quotes: Rappler has debunked several fake graphics and quotes featuring public officials 

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• FACT CHECK: Quote of DPWH’s Dizon threatening case vs vlogger is fabricated
• FACT CHECK: Lordan Suan quote criticizing VP Sara’s hospital visit is fake
• FACT CHECK: Viral quote card of CDO congressman on Sara impeachment fake

 – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com

Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024. 

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