TODAY, 12 September 2013 is the 51st anniversary of Sabah's formation as Philippine sovereign territory

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Armed conflicts in Mindanao: Influenced by Malaysia to keep Sabah

All the events involving armed conflicts in Mindanao from 1968, 1969 and specifically in the early 70s until today between the Govt forces and Muslim rebel groups were triggered by the one standing unresolved issue between the Republic of the Philippines and Peninsular Malaysia: Sovereignty rights over Sabah or the Manila Accord. These 'events' have been "influenced" by Malaysia. 

- Malaysia commenced "influencing events" in Southern Mindanao immediately after the discovery of a plan by the Republic to take control of Sabah in 1968

- Malaysia's Tunku Abdul Razak (father of current Malaysia Prime Minister Najib) was the first PM to pour money into Muslim secessionist rebels who at the time were led by Nur Misuari (first chair of MNLF) and seconded by Hashim Salamat (founder of MILF)

- Malaysia's PM Mahathir as soon as he took over continued the exercise and improved Tunku Abdul Razak's modus operandi by modernising the Malaysian armed forces. He then poured resources after resources into and "enlarged" Muslim secessionist training camps in Sabah. Mahathir devoted a great deal of effort in the Islamisation of Sabah by allowing the influx of Muslims from all over the region and granting them Malaysia citizenship in exchange for their votes so that Barisan Nasional (his party) would remain in power. He was responsible for the nationalisation of the oil resources of Sabah and created PETRONAS that would control the industry.

- When FVR's Govt, finally concluded a peace deal with the MNLF in 1996 with the backing of the OIC, Malaysia realised that their attempts to sow trouble in Southern Mindanao through the MNLF of which they were patrons might be endangered. The MILF shunned the 1996 Peace Agreement. Mahathir trained his efforts on the break-away faction headed by Hashim Salamat aka MILF and funded and supported the rebel group.

- In 1998, President Estrada who had just been elected to the presidency, who was despised by Mahathir, decided to launch an offensive against the MILF after intel revealed that the MILF, fully armed with weapons from Malaysia (including missile systems that Mahathir had ordered earlier on) was gearing up for a full scale offensive against government military bases in the South. The AFP won.

- In 1999, the Sipadan hostage crisis took place. Sipadan is a Malaysian resort island. The hostage crisis began the long descent to hell of Estrada.

- In 2004, Gloria Macapagal accepted MILF's demand that Malaysia be the head of the monitoring team to supervise a Framework Agreement. Malaysian troops began to arrive in Southern Mindanao.

- Shortly thereafter, Senator Nene Pimentel questioned the wisdom of calling on Malaysia to oversee the proposed "peace talks" with the MILF invoking the fact that PH has a standing unresolved issue over Sabah

- In 2012, President Aquino handed over to Najib the signed "Talking points" for shared sovereignty between GPH and MILF

- In 2013, Sultanate of Sulu launched siege in Tanduo, Sabah in a bid to re-take Sabah; many Tausugs died; in September, MNLF decided to rally against the planned signing of the Malaysia-inspired wealth sharing agreement between GPH and MILF which is scheduled on 16 September, on the 50th anniversary of the illegal annexation of Sabah to the created Malaysia Federation.

The bottom line is that Malaysia has always put one over GPH in their bid to ensure that PH will never be able to turn around to re-claim Sabah.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013: THE BEGINNING OF THE DISMANTLING OF THE REPUBLIC? SEPT 16, 1963: DATE INCORPORATING SABAH INTO MALAYSIA FEDERATION

THE BEGINNING OF THE DISMANTLING OF THE REPUBLIC?

SEPT 16, 2013: Date of  the schedule of the signing of the Malaysia-engineered GPH-MILF 'wealth sharing' agreement to be witnessed by officials from Kuala Lumpur and a general from the Malaysia armed forces.

SEPT 16, 1963: Date of the illegal transfer of Sabah to then Malaya Federation, also the date of the establishment of the Malaysia Federation formally incorporating Sabah which took place a few weeks after the signing of the Manila Accord, a treaty between the to-be-created-Malaysia Federation and the Philippines that guaranteed the recognition of the Republic's claim to Sabah which is recorded in the United Nations.

The signing of the 75-25% wealth sharing agreement engineered by Malaysia between GPH (25%) and rebel group MILF (75%) -- to the exclusion of the MNLF, the BIFF, the Tausugs, the Sultanate of Sulu, and all other groups in Southern Mindanao, is scheduled on September 16, 2013.

Choosing the September 16, 2013 date to formally surrender a great portion of the wealth of -- and the Republic's effective sovereignty over Southern Mindanao to Malaysia-controlled MILF, a splinter rebel group in Mindanao whose long-running ambition has been to federate with Kuala Lumpur, is totally indecent to say the least.

We suspect that the date was selected at the behest of the Malaysian friends of President Aquino, to whom his family owes a debt of gratitude, in order to drive the final nail in the coffin of the Republic's claim. We all know, Malaysia is the country that funded, supplied arms, and positioned rebel groups in Mindanao to sow mayhem in the country's southern region.  In fact, Malaysian troops are stationed in Mindanao as we speak.

We are in no doubt that the September 16, 2013 signing of this Malaysia-engineered deal is one of the reasons that spurred the MNLF into a revolt resulting in the current stand off in Zamboanga City. President Aquino ordered the chiefs of DND and DILG to check into the stand off.  The date will formally put to everlasting rest the 1996 Treaty that the Government of the Philippines signed with the MNLF, a comprehensive peace treaty which, if you remember, was shunned by the Malaysia-controlled MILF at the time, and whose treaty terms have been waylaid by succeeding PH administrations in favour of the pro-Malaysia deal with the MILF.

Meanwhile, as the stand-off progresses and MNLF's Nur Misuari (who wants the 1996 peace treaty terms with GPH to be reviewed) is villified in the press and by those who have not clearly understood the dynamics at play, the President is busy entertaining in Malacanang (in picture above), along with his cousin and supporter Tony Boy Cojuangco, none other than Air Asia Chief Executive Officer, Tony Fernandez, a Malaysian. Air Asia is a Malaysia low-cost airline headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. For your information, Mr Fernandez of Air Asia is the staunchest supporter in the Malaysia corporate world of Kuala Lumpur troop movements against Tausug settlers in Lahad Datu in Sabah during the first quarter of this year. But what exactly is going on?

We are tempted to believe that the Government of Noynoy Aquino has all the reasons to put one up over Misuari and the MNLF because for as long as Misuari is alive, he will spell trouble to Malaysia's envisioned control of the rich Southern Mindanao region through its proxy, the MILF, and Nur Misuari will always be a destabilising force in Kuala Lumpur's illegal hold on Sabah.

The September 16, 2013 signing of the Malaysia-engineered 'peace deal' sounds not only like an omen: it is also a hard-hitting back-to-back slap to the Tausugs, to the Sultanate of Sulu, the MNLF along with the various factions that had been sidelined by GPH and Malaysia in the so-called MILF Bangsamoro peace deal. It is effectively the officious burial date of the UN Treaty 8029 otherwise known as the Manila Accord.

But what is worse, it is the supreme insult to and the final stab at the scores of people who were murdered by Malaysian troops in Lahad Datu while defending their right to Sabah.

Is it possible that on September 16 in the not too distant future, we will also be witnessing the signing of the formal transfer of the MILF's Bangsamoro as inspired by Kuala Lumpur to the Malaysia Federation?

BUT WHAT IS PRESIDENT AQUINO's GOVERNMENT THINKING?

~By Administrators
Philippine Sabah Claim Forum
Defenders of the Philippine Sabah & Spratly Claims
Sabah Claim Society
10 September 2013

*Picture of a dead Tausug warrior killed by Kuala Lumpur troops in Sabah from Malaysia Today

Zamboanga City stand-off, Malaysia-engineered GPH-MILF peace deal and the 50-year old unresolved Sabah issue

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MNLF mobilizes Tausug fighters in Malaysia

MANILA, Philippines - The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) has activated some 4,000 foreign trained Tausug fighters embedded in Sarawak and Sabah in Malaysia, group spokesman Emmanuel Fontanilla said yesterday.

Fontanilla said the mobilization of the fighters was aimed to protect Tausugs, who he claimed have been the subject of a crackdown by Malaysian authorities.

He said the MNLF fighters were in addition to the Sulu Sultanate Army led by Agbimuddin Kiram, the brother of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, leading the armed struggle to reclaim their ancestral land in Sabah.

MNLF founding chairman Nur Misuari had declared Sarawak and Sabah as part of the Bangsa Moro Republik (BMR).

Fontanilla however clarified the MNLF fighters in Malaysia will act only in self-defense against any attack from Malaysian forces.

Fontanilla declined to elaborate how the armed group, called the Bangsa Moro Army in Malaysia, was “activated,” but a source revealed at least five countries are supporting it with arms shipments that had arrived in the disputed territory.

 “Just like what happened in the early ‘70s at the height of Mindanao conflict, Sabah and Sarawak will be the main base of the Bangsa Moro Army,” the source said.

The source said the MNLF in the early ‘70s had set up guerrilla and training camps in Sabah with the consent of the Malaysian government at the time.

The source added huge arms shipments were also sent to MNLF in Mindanao weeks before Misuari declared independence in Talipao, Sulu last Aug. 12.

“MNLF troops are now bearing modern assault weapons coming from foreign supporters,” the source said.

Fontanilla however denied the arms shipment, saying the reports were part of government propaganda.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/09/09/1188941/mnlf-mobilizes-tausug-fighters-malaysia

Rafael Alunan III, former DILG Chief: "We will remember come 2016 who neglected and harmed Inang Bayan again and again"

"I/we repeat: the breadth and depth of corruption in government - across the board and down the line - has diverted precious resources to dirty hands and pockets at the expense of modernizing the AFP, PNP, Coast Guard and the criminal justice system. That has, in turn, cost the country billions in lost revenues from fishing and, later, the potential loss of gas and oil revenues."

By Rafael Alunan III 

Facebook friends, as you are well aware I/we have been consumed by China's threat to our EEZ and territorial integrity, taking advantage of our evident weaknesses politically, economically, technologically and militarily.

Today, they have a military fortification on Mischief Reef which belongs to us; and they have cordoned off Scarborough which also belongs to us and have begun pre-construction activities. They are also applying pressure on our contingent at Ayungin Shoal on board a grounded rusty old vessel serving as their floating barracks.

I/we have also expressed our impatience and bewilderment as to what's taking the government so long to:

• a. determine and acquire with deliberate speed the total needs of our armed forces to ably protect and defend our country and its EEZ;
• b. organize a brain trust to find the funds needed for national security;
• c. rally the government and the people to address the clear and present danger posed by China, as one united nation, and;
• d. act decisively on China's annexation of Panatag which is clearly an act of undeclared war.

And it has brought us to realize that perhaps we do not have the right people in place to competently exercise their constitutional duty of protecting our EEZ, defending the country and upholding national honor and dignity.

That is truly an unforgivable cause for national insecurity on top of the corruption that has severely impacted national, human and ecological security through the years.

2016 is 3 years away and it seems this is the only thing consuming the government. If it manages to somehow curb corruption during this time and bring the plunderous saboteurs to justice, well and good. But that will be negated by the loss of maritime territory and the resources therein because of their negligence and incompetence.

If and when we reach the next presidential elections, I will surely campaign against all those who harmed the republic, be it through corruption or through criminal negligence.

I/we repeat: the breadth and depth of corruption in government - across the board and down the line - has diverted precious resources to dirty hands and pockets at the expense of modernizing the AFP, PNP, Coast Guard and the criminal justice system. That has, in turn, cost the country billions in lost revenues from fishing and, later, the potential loss of gas and oil revenues.

It caused poverty and hunger levels, unreachable health costs, poor quality of education; and the under- and unemployment rates to remain more or less unchanged. It caused the deaths and injuries to citizens, soldiers and policemen in insurgency and disaster prone areas that could have been avoided or reduced had the monies from collected taxes for mitigation and adaptation been spent entirely for their intended purposes.

We will remember come 2016 who neglected and harmed Inang Bayan again and again.

If you agree please LIKE and SHARE. Many thanks for your solidarity.

~~ o ~~

*Former Secretary Alunan, Convenor of West Philippine Sea Coalition, served under two presidents of the Philippines. This post was published on his Facebook wall

Sabah: Mourning a lost opportunity; PH should have gone with 'guns blazing'

In less than two weeks, PH will be mourning the 50th anniversary of the loss of Sabah to Malaya Federation... 

We had a lot going for us back then. We had in our possession the ultimate deed of transfer of sovereignty from the proprietary right holders of Sabah, we had a great defence force with highly trained and battle tested professionals and we had leaders with first class brains arguing for the Republic's right to receive full ownership of the domain. Indeed, there were many elements in our favour then even if we lacked the backing of a major ally and even as the Malaya Federation was being backed by its British masters... 

Could we have taken possession of Sabah 'legally' and diplomatically, i.e., through the UN, even without US backing? I don't think so. President Macapagal in all likelihood, the diplomat hors pair that he was known for, would not have approved of "going it alone." At the time, we would not have been bold enough to tackle the British in the UN without official US backing, our major trading partner, our masters so to speak whose policies we breathed and lived. True, President Macapagal could be stubborn as when he tweaked the US when he decided to change the date of PH independence but he knew that he could only go so far...

Now, as if the 'absence' of backing by a major ally was not bad enough, we also had in our midst then, a charismatic member of the Senate, an internationally famous ex-diplomat known for having flexed verbal muscles with Khruschev, who was fighting tooth and nail against the Republic's claim on behalf of the Malayans (and by extension, on behalf of the British) at a time when our own leaders were trying to hard to convince the British that they were wrong not to return Sabah to its rightful owners. He was the Philippines''Brutus' in the overall scheme of things. (His descendant is doing the same thing today.) I am convinced that 'Brutus' vitriolic assault on the Republic's claim gave Britain and Malaya the great excuse to say that because PH did not know what it wanted, they would be deciding the fate of Sabah. 

In hindsight, diplomacy and beautifully crafted words proved futile. We should have gone with guns blazing and physically battled to get Sabah back. It would or could have forced the great nations to stop and listen to us instead of allowing ourselves to keel over without a fight. If we had to lose, we would have had, at the very least, the satisfaction of having fought a battle that was worth fighting.

Today, we mourn the lost opportunity. Malaya, on the other hand, is jubilant. They not only have managed to steal Sabah from us and became extra-ordinarily rich, thanks to Sabah's resources, they have also kept us divided, and at war among ourselves in the South. However one may want to look at it, the Malayans have humiliated us into abject surrender. I am sure that their coup de grace will not be long in coming as they prepare to dismantle the Republic... 

But all is not lost! As ever, for as long as there is life, one must not give up! We may have lost a battle but not the war...

~~ Anne de Bretagne
for the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum
and for the Defenders of the Philippine Sabah and Spratly Claims
31 August 2013

President Macapagal’s State of the Nation Address, on the Filing of the Claim of Sovereignty over North Borneo 

28 January 1963  

Source: Extract from President Macapagal’s State of the Nation Address, delivered before a Joint Session of the Philippines Congress. Philippines Republic, Congressional Record, 5th Congress, 2nd Session, 28 January 1963, p.42  

The most important action taken in the field of foreign relations in the past year was the official filing on June 22, 1962, with the United Kingdom of the Philippine claim of sovereignty, jurisdiction and proprietary ownership over North Borneo as successor-in-interest of the Sultan of Sulu. 

We are gratified at the goodwill shown by the United Kingdom in holding the talks in London in pursuance of our note on June 22, 1962, in which talk an opportunity has been opened for a friendly scrutiny of the Philippine claim, taken with the security problems of South-east Asia.  

2. Contrary to allegation in some political quarters, this was not a precipitate action. We have personally studied this claim over a period of years. While serving in the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1946, upon a study of this claim in connection with our successful negotiation for the reacquisition of the Turtle Islands, we advocated the filing of this claim.  

3. In 1948, while serving in the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC, we went over the claim with an American expert in Anglo-Saxon law in George Washington University who sustained the view that this is a valid claim. When we served in the Congress of the Philippines, we successfully authored and sponsored in 1950, a resolution for the filing of this claim. Upon becoming President of the Philippines, acting on the conviction that this was not only a valid claim but that its presentation was demanded by the national interest, it became our inescapable duty to act on the bipartisan resolution of the House of Representatives on April 24, 1962, that the claim be filed now or never.  

4. The situation is that the Philippines not only has valid and historic claim to North Borneo. In addition, the pursuit of the claim is itself vital to our national security. We could not merely view the placing of North Borneo under Malaya, without presentation and consideration of our legitimate claim to North Borneo. Our claim to North Borneo cannot be less than the claim of Malaya to the territory not only on the basis of superior juridical and historical rights but in the vital interest of our national security.  

5. Malaya has no valid claim or right to take over North Borneo. Furthermore, if through arbitrary arrangement, the Borneo territory is placed under Malaya, the latter cannot likely insure for long the security of North Borneo for the free world. A profound and farsighted contemplation of the present and potential security posture in the whole region will conclusively support the judgment that the restoration of North Borneo as part of the territory of the Philippines would be the durable measure that could best insure against territorial disequilibrium and restlessness in the area and could constitute the firm and stabilizing factor to maintain and safeguard the security of the region.  

6. The project to place North Borneo, together with Brunei and Sarawak, under Malaya has already provoked a revolt in Brunei. It can be expected that Indonesia will not settle down accepting the authority of Malaya over Sarawak, Brunei and North Borneo. Moreover, the proposed Federation of Malaysia is not in accordance with the principle of self-determination, which is the accepted way out of colonialism, but appears to be a continuation of colonialism based only on an expedient of false security.  

7. It was imperative that the Philippine claim be, as it was made because if North Borneo was not to be by itself independent but was to be placed under another state there is no valid reason why, the legal and historic basis of the Philippine claim, and considering that North Borneo is contiguous to Philippine territory and vital to our security, the new State to be given jurisdiction over North Borneo should not be the Philippines.  

8. It is vital to the security of the Philippines that North Borneo be not placed under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of another State, particularly a state on the Asian mainland like Malaya. In the event, God forbid, that Malaya succumbs to the potent communist threat on the Asian mainland, with North Borneo under Malaya, there would be created a situation in which a communist territory would be immediately at the southern frontier of the Philippines, which would pose a grave and intolerable threat to our country. Against such threat, we know that our people will fight to the death, for they will rather die fighting for freedom than live in slavery.  

PRINCIPLE OF SELF-DETERMINATION  

9. In laying claim to North Borneo in pursuance of the legal and historic rights and the security interest of the Philippines, we recognize the cardinal principle of self-determination of which the Philippines has been a steadfast adherent. In the prosecution of our valid claim, it is agreeable to us that at an appropriate time the people of North Borneo should be given an opportunity to determine whether they would wish to be independent or whether they would wish to be part of the Philippines or be placed under another state. Such referendum, however, should be authentic and bona fide by holding it under conditions, preferably supervised by the United Nations, that would insure effective freedom to the people of North Borneo to express their true and enlightened will.  

 Admin's NOTE: Thanks go to Filipina Maharlika for the President Diosdado Macapagal State of the Nation Speech document. Filipina Maharlika is one of the founding members of the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum.

• Link to extract from President D Macapagal's State of the Nation Address on the Republic's filing of sovereignty claim to Sabah (Philippine Sabah Claim Forum) 
• Photos: 
• President Macapagal with Indonesia's Soekarno and Malaya Federation's Tunku Abdul Rahman on the signing of the Manila Accord.
• President Macapagal with then Senate President Marcos. Both played pivotal roles in the Republic's sovereignty claim to Sabah.