Sulu sultan meets with Catholic bishops

MANILA, Philippines - The Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo on Monday met with members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in a bid to tap its support and the Vatican’s on the resolution of the ongoing Sabah standoff.

Abraham Idjirani, the spokesman of the Sultanate told reporters that the meeting between the CBCP led by its president, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III was brokered by Dante Jimenez, chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.

Joining Sultan Kiram in the meeting with the bishops were his daughter Princess Jacel Kiram, Idjirani and political strategist Pastor “Boy” Saycon, the Sultanate’s political consultant.

Idjirani told reporters that Sultan Kiram will try to convince the bishops of the Sultanate’s claim over Sabah through the presentation of several documents.

The documents include a “grant of letters of administration” in the Sessions Court of North Borneo dated 1939 which recognized the authority of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo over Sabah; a 1999 letter to the editor of the Daily Zamboanga Times which stated that the 1939 judgment of the High Court of Borneo confirmed the propriety rights over Sabah by the descendants of Sulu Sultan Punjungan Kiram; and a letter addressed to Sulu Datu Punjungan Kiram from the British Legation in Manila dated October 18, 1950 confirming the legation’s preparedness to pay the Sultanate the sum of P1,301.79 in cession money.

Idjirani also said that in addition to proving the Sultanate’s claim over Sabah, the Sultanate would also want to assure the CBCP and the Holy See that it intends to recover Sabah not only for Muslims, but for Christians as well.

“We want to prove to them that the intention of the Sultan is not only for the Muslims. This is not only exclusive for the Muslims but also inclusive of our Christian brothers and sisters, including the indigenous peoples,” he said.

“Sabah is not for sale but is the patrimony of the Filipino people,” Idjirani added.

Idjirani is confident that the Sultanate of Sulu will be able to tap the support of the CBCP and later, the Vatican as well, on the Sabah issue.

“It is the intention of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to talk with the CBCP. We cannot deny the influence of the CBCP. This Sabah issue concerns geopolitics. We need the support of the Vatican here,” he said.

“So hopefully the president of the CBCP will invite the attention of the Vatican to also do something about it because the Vatican advocates peace, prosperity and respect for human rights. Especially now that we have a new Pope,” he said.

Idjirani added that the Vatican would most likely take an interest in what is happening now in Sabah as about 25 percent of Sabah’s population is Christian.

“We cannot deny that about 25 percent of the population in Sabah is Christian. The Sultan wants to assure the CBCP and the Holy See that in case Sabah is returned to the Sultanate of Sulu, all religions will be respected according to the teachings of Islam,” he said.

“Islam says not to belittle any religion. Allah says to do that would be an immortal sin,” Idjirani added.