Gov’t to protect Filipinos in Sabah standoff

MANILA, Philippines - The government will uphold the country’s national interest with regard to the Sabah standoff and will ensure the safety of Filipinos currently holed up in Lahad Datu town and pressing their claim over the island.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said yesterday that discussions are ongoing between Philippine and Malaysian authorities, as well as the parties involved in the incident.

Valte made the statement when asked about the government’s last resort as the followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III accused the Aquino administration of favoring Malaysia more than them.

“Let us wait for the results of those discussions,” she said without identifying the foreign affairs officials and other government representatives handling the matter.

She said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) always acts in line with the country’s national interest, and with the protection of Filipinos as their utmost priority.

The Palace official said the DFA was focused on ensuring the safety of the Filipinos, and on negotiations on how to peacefully end the standoff.

When asked about proposals to include in school curricula the Philippines’ claim over Sabah, she said it would be up to the Department of Education (DepEd).

There have been calls to pursue the country’s claim over Sabah, but it should be done by the state itself, being a sovereign nation.

Valte said the government would not want to discuss any other details regarding the matter to ensure the safety of the Filipinos.

Both Malaysia and the Philippines are claiming ownership of Sabah. The government has not completely abandoned its claim to the island, but this has been put on the back burner because of the Philippines’ bilateral relations with Malaysia, which has been brokering talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

President Aquino described the claim as “dormant” and Valte said they would have to leave it at that for the moment.

The country first made its claim to Sabah in 1962 after the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo gave the government, then under the late President Diosdado Macapagal, legal authority to negotiate on their behalf.

The Sultanate of Sulu obtained Sabah from the Sultanate of Brunei as a gift for helping put down a rebellion. 

It leased Sabah to the British North Borneo Co. in 1878, but Sabah became part of Malaysia when it gained independence in 1963.

While Sabah became part of Malaysia in 1963, Kuala Lumpur still pays an annual rent of 5,300 ringgit ($1,600) to the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu.

Meanwhile, Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna said the government must make a clear stand on the Sabah issue.

Tugna, a member of the House committee on foreign affairs, said the government has remained vague on whether the country really has a claim on Sabah.

“The government needs to either make a stand on Sabah or let go of it completely. Like our strong and indignant claim on the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, the government needs to address the Sabah issue with a stance,” he said.

He said in addressing the issue, the government and Malaysia must ensure that only peaceful means would be used.

The lawmaker said government historians and legal experts must make a thorough study to determine whether the country really has a legitimate claim over Sabah.– With Paolo Romero