‘Talks, not force needed in Sabah’

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City, Philippines – The only way to resolve disputes over Sabah is through negotiation, not force, President Aquino said yesterday.

Addressing the graduates of this year’s Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Pudang Kalis” Class of 2013, the President also renewed his criticisms of those he said were the “masterminds” of the crisis in Sabah.

“A careful and truthful evaluation of the facts, and a subsequent negotiation along those lines, to produce the right solution” is the right approach to the crisis, he said.

Aquino urged the PMA graduates to be responsible officials and protect the country’s interest.

“The work of the entire Filipino people brought you to today’s triumph; it is my hope that your every action from here on is dedicated to this same people – because, after all, is it not true that all problems arise from those who think only of themselves and of their own interests?” he asked.

The President cited the case of Sabah.

“Did its masterminds consider how their actions would affect the majority? We have an estimated 800,000 Filipinos quietly living and working in Sabah,” Aquino said.

“What if they were suddenly turned away by the neighbors with whom we have painstakingly cultivated peace and trust?” Aquino said in reference to Malaysia, which has been the facilitator in the government’s peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“We already know how complicated this issue is. Could any Malaysian prime minister so easily agree to let go of a land that, for so long, has been subject to their laws? Is there a Philippine president who would, without second thought, give up our claim?” he said.

Aquino said his position over the issue was to take into consideration the welfare of the Filipinos living in Sabah.

“Whether or not the claims of those who went to Sabah are legitimate, how does one weigh actions against the lives and livelihoods that are put in danger should an outright conflict begin?” Aquino asserted.

Simple logic dictates that there is a “resultant reaction” for every action, he said.

“Did the masterminds of this situation consider any of this as they provoked and aggravated the situation – as they gathered the funds needed to rent boats, to buy gasoline and food, guns and bullets?” Aquino asked.

“And there are problems that cannot be solved hastily – problems that will only beget more problems if we try to solve them through force or recklessness.”

Aquino reminded the graduates of their responsibility to the country.

“As someone who is a little bit older than you, perhaps this is the lesson I can impart: whenever you face a dilemma, you need only put yourselves in the shoes of those that will be the most affected, the most abused, the poorest, those who are in most need of your protection – and I can promise you, what is right and what is wrong will become clearer,” he said.

“They who are in the margins of society, they who are our bosses, the Filipino people – they are the ones who will set the direction we must take; so long as we always keep their well-being in mind, we will never stray,” Aquino told the graduates.

Class valedictorian Jestony Arman Lanaja took up the President’s challenge. As the Filipino people continue to be their inspiration, he said they are “custom-fitted in the tenets of peace.”

“We shall win the war through peace, and with the Filipino nation’s help, I know we can,” he said.

The military, for its part, called on the new PMA graduates to live up to the academy’s core values and to dedicate themselves to public service.

“The new ranks that were bestowed on them shall serve as fitting reminders of their awesome responsibilities and the high expectations of our people as they pursue a progressive military career in the profession of arms,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said.

“We expect that they will live up to the core values of their alma mater and exhibit courage, integrity and loyalty in fulfilling their sworn duties to the nation as commissioned officers of the AFP,” he added.

Burgos said the graduates’ four “rigorous and challenging” years in the PMA prepared them to become fine officers and leaders.

“We fervently hope that they will cherish this great opportunity to render selfless service to the Filipino people,” he said.

The PMA “Pudang Kalis” Class of 2013 consists of 105 men and 19 women.

The class name literally means “sacred sword” but is also an acronym for “Puso’t Dangal na Kawal ng Nag-iisang Lakas” (roughly “Soldiers with Heart and Honor, Unified in Strength”)

Of the 124 graduates, 67 will go to the Army, 33 will work for the Navy and 24 will be deployed to the Air Force. The Class 2013 members will enter the service commissioned as second lieutenants. – Alexis Romero, Artemio Dumlao