MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday called on Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to order his followers, including his brother Prince Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram, to return to the country from Sabah, Malaysia.
"This is a situation that cannot persist. If you are truly the leader of your people, you should be one with us in ordering your followers to return home peacefully," the President said during a media briefing in Malacanan this morning.
"The right thing to do now would be to order your followers to return home as soon as possible," the President added.
He said the 180 followers of Kiram who recently went to Lahud Datu and staked their claim on Sabah have not only put their own lives at risk but those Filipinos who do business or work in Malaysia.
"The action of these people purporting to be your followers, endangers more than just their own lives. They also put at risk our countrymen peacefully engaged in their livelihood in Sabah. These are hundreds of thousands of individuals. Their families, dependent on their wages, are likewise being made to suffer. Filipinos residing in Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, who trade with Sabah, have had their commerce disrupted. Most of these people are your fellow Muslims," the President said.
President Aquino pointed out that Sultan Kiram's grievances could be resolved in a dialogue.
"The avenue of peaceful and open dialogue is still available to us. Let us therefore sit down as brothers to address your grievances in a peaceful, calm manner according to our laws and according to correct processes when your people arrive home," he said.
With the appeal, President Aquino also warned that Sultan Kiram and his followers could face sanctions for their actions.
"The choices and consequences are yours. If you choose not to cooperate, the full force of the laws of the state will be used to achieve justice for all who have been put in harm’s way," he said.
He also noted that among the possible violations the Sultan and his group is "Article II Section 2 of the Constitution, which states that the Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy."