Senator Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel, Jr, who launched the first formal salvo tackling the Philippine Sabah claim in an October 2011 forum at the University of Makati, was the first senator and political leader of the Republic who officially expressed views on the ongoing debacle of the Republic with the Malaysia-backed MILF saying that effectively, Malaysia's incursions in Mindanao as "peacekeepers" pose a conflict of interest, i.e., because of the Philippine Sabah claim.
During an interview with the Philippine Star in November 2011, he said,
“That buffer force is supposed to be led by Malaysia and I think that is the worst choice we can have, to get Malaysia involved as a peacekeeping force on behalf of the OIC, because Malaysia has definite interests that conflict with the interests of the country."
Excerpts, Philstar November 2011 report:.
Conflict of interestIn another development, former senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. called on the government to consider replacing Malaysia as mediator with the MILF because of some conflicts of interest of the Malaysians.
Pimentel said that the recent conflicts between the MILF and government troops could have been avoided if the international peacekeeping team led by Malaysia had been more effective in its work in Mindanao.
He said that the peacekeeping force acting on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) is supposed to be the buffer force between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the MILF.
“That buffer force is supposed to be led by Malaysia and I think that is the worst choice we can have, to get Malaysia involved as a peacekeeping force on behalf of the OIC, because Malaysia has definite interests that conflict with the interests of the country,” Pimentel said.
He cited the long-standing claims by the Philippines and Malaysia on Sabah as well as a certain marshland in Cotabato.
Pimentel also noted Malaysia’s identification with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which caused some problems in the past when the rebel group was still waging war on the government.
“When the MNLF forces were trying to strengthen their group, they were training in Sabah which is jurisdictionally, as of now, under the administration of Malaysia. That is where they trained before,” Pimentel said.
Fifty years ago, Senator Jovito Salonga exhorted the Philippines to move about Sabah. That was fifty years ago. What have succeeding members of the nation's "august" Senate done about it?
Almost fifty years later, ONLY ONE SENATOR had the courage to call a spade a spade and tell the government that they were wrong to choose Malaysia as buffer force in Mindanao via the MILF and that was Senator Nene Pimentel. Has anyone else stood up to be heard or even mutter something intelligible about it? None!!!
NB: Shown above is picture of books authored by Senator Pimentel. To visit the website of Senator Nene Pimentel, please click here.
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