SABAH CLAIM REFRAIN: "BLAME SOMEONE ELSE BUT ME"

"When Malaya's Tunku Abdul Rahman went to Sabah before the Sabah referendum in 1962 to talk to the elders of North Borneo (Sabah), why did not the Philippines and its Government do the same to organise a campaign in situ to get the Sabahans on side? Why didn't they do it?


 
By Anne de Bretagne
For the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum
for the Defenders of the Philippine Sabah & Spratly Claims
and for Sabah Claim Society
23 August 2015


Now, is "blame someone else but me" a distinct Filipino character trait? I'm beginning to think it is! 

For the last few years, the usual refrain when people discuss the Sabah claim issue is to blame the British for the situation the Philippines finds itself in with regard to its stale claim on Sabah. Well, well...

Alright, let's deal with it and throw the Framework Agreement, the BBL, the entire immobile Sabah claim, the Sultanate of Sulu bickering (nearly fratricidal crap, etc, etc) and include with them the kitchen sink at the British. 

I agree the British 'created the problem' as many people who have just recently discovered the North Borneo (Sabah) conundrum have been spewing all over the place.  But here's what: these Filipinos must understand and admit once and for all that the Philippines contributed largely to that decision that created the problem (and continues to contribute unequivocally to the problem TODAY).

But let's be fair and be a bit more clever about things. It's nice to have a punching bag or to have a butt of "sisi" (much like Noynoy aka as Boy Sisi), in this case, the British, but we must ascertain that the Philippines, its leaders and its people aren't at  fault either before we cast blame or "sisi" all around. Anyway, if we want to cast "sisi" all around, here are some real reasons for you to go and do all the "sisi" you want:

(1) At the time, i.e., early 60s, Senator Jovi Salonga was working so hard negotiating with the Brits, your/our own countryman, Senator Lorenzo Sumulong, a flamboyant ex-diplomat to the UN (who happens to be the grand uncle of current PH president, Noynoy Aquino), was going all over the place, attacking and casting vitriolic heaps of acid via the PH Senate pulpit to whip PH Govt and its Sabah claim to extinction. 

He sold the PH claim to Tunku Adul Rahman, then Malaysia's Prime Minister by acting as the soon-to-be-created Malaysia Federation's attack dog against the Government of the Philippines and its claim to Sabah. It wouldn't surprise me therefore, that like the big powers at the time, the Brits took this all-Philippine treasonous approach to the Sabah claim, happening in one of the highest echelons of power, as an excuse to say, "Bloody hell! You people don't know what you want? Well, I'll decide for you!" (Let's not beat around the bush, it was an all-Filipino treason game which must have greatly amused the Brits and the Malayans!) 

(2) Furthermore, if blame has to be cast all around, let's not look far away.... Our own masters and commanders at the time, the great United States of America, did not lift a finger, did not do anything at all to help us convince the British to allow the Sultanate of Sulu to have it back in 1962. On the contrary, the Americans not only did not pay even scant attention to this issue but also discouraged us from tackling the Sabah issue (check out records from as far back as 1957). And one would have thought that as our greatest allies, they would see our way. But heck, no...just didn't happen, but you don't see me around blaming the Americans, now, do you? (Fast forward... In 1967 or 68, it was America that alerted Britain that Marcos was on a "war path" and so what happened? Britain tried to show force by landing fighter aircraft on our own soil. Did America say anything? Nope! Not a word! They were in cahoots with the UK!)

(3) One important element: When Malaya's Tunku Abdul Rahman went to Sabah before the Sabah referendum in 1962 to talk to the elders of North Borneo (Sabah), why did not the Philippines do the same to organise a campaign in situ to get the Sabahans on side? Why?

The Philippine Government was well aware of what was going to happen but did not lift a finger, did not do anything and instead, LEFT EVERYTHING TO FATE as in "Bahala na!" The Government at the time just sat on its big fat ass while the other party, the Malayans led by Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, were going at things hammer and tong right in the heart of Sabah to convince the Sabahans to join the soon-to-be created Malaysia Federation. TOTAL PHILIPPINE INERTIA! PH Govt just didn't go the extra mile even if it meant saving Sabah claim's own skin for God and country. Parbleu! And you think we are not to blame?

And I can recite a long series of other "blames" but I won't. I'll stop at those because they should be enough to enlighten you.

So, lets be a bit more clever about this, shall we? Because we can't just be making "sisi" all around like Noynoy does today when things go wrong and believe that it's everybody else's fault but ours! If you really want to know, we were as much to blame for being generally do-lally about the claim. 

This "sisi" doctrine seems to be deeply embedded in our psyche but let's get over it and move on!

Let's not allow classic INERTIA (Bahala na!) to overcome us just because it makes us feel better to  whine consistently and to look back to the past to blame the British for all that has gone badly with Sabah (of which, I must remind Filipinos, are also largely, hugely responsible for, anyway) and let this politics of blame stop at the water's edge! Instead, FIND SOLUTIONS TO HOW TO GET THE BLASTED SABAH BACK or at the very least, find solutions not to allow this country to be partitioned by radicals, zealots, fanatics, secessionists, Malaysian warriors by proxy in the southern Philippines with the treasonous complicity -- again of Govt officials, elected and appointed!

Blaming the Brits for the Sabah debacle ad vitam eternam is not going to help achieve what many Filipinos want, i.e., get Sabah back. 

~~~~O~~~~

PNoy to next President: Beat my achievements

"With regard to DAP, he knew it was wrong and only for him to give a lame excuse that he should not be criticized because he used it for the good of the people. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW, NOT EVEN THE PRESIDENT! He did an illegal thing consciously and he cannot just use ignorance as an excuse."

                                                                    
By Marlene D. Howe
For the Sabah Claim Society
July 2, 2014

By the way, I was a PNoy supporter when he ran for presidency and I have passionately debated on his behalf with his detractors here on Facebook. I believed then that his lack of political achievement as a senator and was even caught dozing off few times during senate hearing, will not matter if his heart is in the right place.

Shortly after he was sworn in, the Luneta hostage crisis happened and he was reportedly hiding at Emerald restaurant instead of going out there and taking leadership. I thought that maybe since he was new to his position he was a little distracted and not knowing what to do. So I never voiced out any criticism on him for the first two and a half years of his presidency. But several faux pas after that, I can no longer stand by and keep quiet. So I became one of his vocal critics.

So Pinoy says, "To next President: Beat my achievements
Let's be fair and review some of the promises he made during the campaign such as:

1. Kung walang korap, walang Mahirap. Did he deliver that promise?

2. What about, Tuwid na daan? Did he deliver that promise?

3. What about, Kayo ang Boss ko? Did he listen to the people? Didn't he collude with Malaysia against the majority of voices of the people in and out of social media to stand up to Malaysia and reclaim Sabah for the country and for our Muslim kababayans who were slaughtered in Sabah? Didn't he echo Najib's rhetoric instead of standing by the Sulu Sultanate? Malaysia even used the airline owned by PNoy's cousin to transport their soldiers to Sabah to kill our kababayans from the Sulu Sultanate.

4. What about the funds intended for the military family that his trusted adviser, Butch Abad withheld and later found its way to the president's DAPS? Butch Abad should have been fired right after when his wrongdoing was exposed. I just found out about this yesterday from the wall of Admiral Juan A. Deleon.

5. Didn't PNOY use PDAF as bribe for senators to insure a conviction on Corona?

6. Didn't we lose Scarborough or Panatag Shoal because of the president's ineptitude and naiveté?

7.  With regard to DAP, he knew it was wrong and only for him to give a lame excuse that he should not be criticized because he used it for the good of the people. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW, NOT EVEN THE PRESIDENT! He did an illegal thing consciously and he cannot just use ignorance as an excuse.

8. The infamous "Framework Agreement" is another example of the president's naiveté when he rushed into a peace agreement with one faction MILF but took the rest of other factions and tribes out of the equation. The result was more chaos and bloodshed starting with the Zamboanga siege. Do you call this peace agreement when other tribes have vowed to fight for their right to self-determination? Can you call this success?

9. Lastly, from what I can think of for now, there were corruptions unfolding under his administration like the BOC when he accepted the resignation of General Lim who was the only person surrounded with sharks and crocodiles who attempted to clean up the Bureau of Customs. But he did not accept the resignation of BOC's top dog, Raffy Biazon when he was the one in-charge of the whole agency and Gen. Lim was only a second in command. He did not even fire the well-known "Three Kings" of smuggling at BOC. Why? Is it because one of them is under Speaker Belmonte's protection?

The economy might be growing a little bit but the general population does not feel it. There are so many little things that are wrong under the president's watch but I can't enumerate all of them. But one thing I can say about the latest brouhaha when he let his personal feelings get in the way of a business decision is, IT'S ALL BS to exclude Nora Aunor for the National Artist award because of Ms. Aunor's drug conviction of which she took responsibility and learned from it. But the fact that she has considerable contribution to the Arts and she made her own success through old-fashion hard work and sheer talent are things that no one can deny. PNoy's excuse of Ms. Aunor's past is LAME and UNFAIR. Are all the previous awardees saints? Who knows, they are babaero, palainom, sugarol, drug users and whatever discretions they might have. But they were recognized based on their contribution to the Arts. It should be the same for Nora Aunor. I wonder if he would do the same thing if it's Kris Aquino who's in the running. The whole Philippines know of Kris cohabiting with few men without legal or religious sanction.

~~O~~

Marlene Howe is co-founder and administrator of the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum and of the Defenders of Philippine Sabah and Spratly Claims community as well as an administrator of this blog. Ms Howe is US-based but keeps a home in the Philippines.

Misuari did not dig in the "pork barrel": he was poor when he was ARMM governor, was poor when he was jailed and remains poor today

Architects of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement

"ARMM has had a total of 6 governors in the following chronological order: Candao, Misuari, Hussin, Ampatuan, and now Hataman. Three governors have now followed him. Misuari was detained for 7 years when the Council of 15 under Sema broke off.

"During his term as governor, Misuari became vociferous about his inability to implement improvements because the ARMM budget was deceptive."


By Yolanda Ortega Stern
22 September 2013

DAY 13 - Story unleashed: "Blame Misuari. He failed miserably as governor of ARMM. He had the biggest opportunity. He lived like a king, stayed in a 5 Star hotel, enriched himself. He was a revolutionary who did not know how to run ARMM."
 
It's not as simple as that.

In 1996, after the peace agreement, we, the Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce, signed Misuari's first memorandum of Agreement for Cooperation to help Mindanao. The ARMM office was made accessible to me. I traveled and listened to the people in many "Extraordinary People's Congress" and became hooked to solving the incredible problems of my own Mindanao. So here is a very digested response to the moment...

ARMM has had a total of 6 governors in the following chronological order: Candao, Misuari, Hussin, Ampatuan, and now Hataman. Three governors have now followed him. Misuari was detained for 7 years when the Council of 15 under Sema broke off.

During his term as governor, Misuari became vociferous about his inability to implement improvements because the ARMM budget was deceptive. It was not ARMM's but merely a transfer of administrative responsibilities to the governor's budget: 88% went to paying the salaries of over 18,000 teachers, some employed under Marcos yet; 10 % went to capital expenditures such as the Cotabato Ofc; a mere 2% went to operations.

As to the "5-Star Hotel", he held office at the seedy Admiral Hotel next to other offices, because it was cheaper than buying or renting a building that could accommodate the hundreds of people who lined up daily asking for the moon and offering financial instruments. Misuari was poor when he became governor, remained poor when he was jailed, is still poor today. He does not even own a house or a condo of his own.

Two other governors, Parouk Hussin and Zaldy Ampatuan served for almost a decade after him and a temporary OIC was appointed in the person of Mujiv Hataman who was elected in the last election and still serves.

Those succeeding governors had better luck in that funding poured in from foreign countries. But in the last decade under 3 governors, peace, happiness and prosperity have not yet come to the poor of Mindanao and some are still blaming Misuari. Some even label him a "spent force". In an ironic twist, even his old Presidents went or are in detention themselves. Misuari was audited 8 times and was cleared 8 times.

So forward the tape to today...

PGMA began the shift to the MILF and to the Sema MNLF, a move President Aquino adopted under advisement of no less than some old advisors with the nod of some foreign countries. Remember Ambassador Kirsty Kenney who undertook a few trips to KL to meet the MILF.

At that point, the Misuari MNLF had been negotiating for limited autonomy under the 5 technical working groups that PGMA requested. They had bent over backwards day and night with their Central Committee for two of PGMA's terms for a political solution. Misuari always believed in nothing less than a political solution to end 600 years of stress. Nothing moved. Then President Aquino comes into power, and proceeds to adapt the PGMA initiative. He goes to Singapore and offers the MILF limited autonomy and the Bangsamoro framework, exactly what Misuari had been asking for.

At the last tripartite meeting, I got unconfirmed reports that the OIC asked the Indonesian Embassy to inform Misuari that GPH had abrogated the 1996 Peace Agreement and that the decision was "irreversible". To add salt to the wound, the splinter MNLF supports the Framework.

It is important to understand that Misuari is not a dictator. He represents the confluent voices of Mindanao Moslems, Lumads and many Christians. The MILF is also claiming that the BMF is also for all Mindanaons.

President Aquino's election was a high note for Misuari and the Philippines. We were filled with hope and thought he would heal Mindanao like his father did.

Those born after 1976 and after 1996 must study all the agreements past and present in order to understand. Better yet, spend every free time reading up the history of the PH and Mindanao from all perspectives, and this will take half a decade. But you will learn to make educated judgements and you will raise your children with true knowledge of why Mindanao has failed at peace for the last 600 years.

"Men work together, whether they wok together or apart." R. Frost

~~~~O~~~~

Yolanda Ortega Stern, Ph.D. is the President of One World Institute (OWI), a Northern California-based non-profit, public benefit corporation registered in the United States and in the Philippines. Link: www.theoneworldinstitute.org Ms Stern is also a member of the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum. This article is published with her  permission.

 
Related story:  Nur Misuari as leader of the ARMM and MNLF
By John Unson (philstar.com) | Updated September 11, 2013 - 1:55pm

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

Can a 'President' Bong Bong Marcos in 2016 take Sabah back? His friends and supporters think so

The success of the next president with regard to Sabah will be hinging on President Aquiino's actions on Sabah today. Either he is a patriot or not. If he is not a patriot, then the next president will need all the luck he can have to take Sabah back...

Supporters of Marcos for president in 2016 believe that unlike Philippines' President Aquino today who has been seen as weakling (using a polite term) and a puppet of Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib, Bong-Bong Marcos (Ferdinand Marcos Jr) will have the courage to press on and re-take Sabah.

From Anne de B, one of the founders of the Sabah Clain Society and the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum, on whether Bong Bong Marcos, if he is elected president, could take back Sabah:

A Bong-Bong Marcos presidency does not guarantee the return of Sabah. No future president can achieve that unless current dispensation paves the way. In order to ensure the likelihood of getting Kuala Lumpur to negotiate with us firmly (during BBM's tenure if he becomes president) the current dispensation must do everything within the next three years to pressure Kuala Lumpur to accept to honour the Manila Accord at the very least.

Realistically, I believe that what a "President" BB Marcos can do come 2016 in the direction of Sabah hinges on what President Aquino does today which means that the current dispensation should show that it behaves, decides and acts in favour of the claim. President Aquino should be behaving today from the standpoint that Sabah is ours by right, historically and legally, eg., [examples of how the current Malacanang tenant shoud behave, decide and act, etc...]

(i) by defending the Tausugs and Suluks in Sabah from human rights violations,
(ii) by removing KL as the panel chair of the so-called GPH-MILF peace talks because you cannot have a fellow with whom you have an outstanding dispute to chair a talk that that fellow himself had engineered - complete stupidity, so anybody but KL or peninsular Malaysia,
(iii) by sending away those Malaysian so-called "peacekeepers" in Mindanao, again, anybody else but not from the country with whom we have an outstanding dispute and not from the country that continues to massacre our people in Sabah,
(iv) by not playing mouthpiece to Najib, certainly not the president of the Republic.

Unless President Aquino does these things within the last three years of his mandate - but which he is not doing at the moment,  the Sabah issue will not be easy for the next president to tackle. 

It is also a matter of military power. If the supporters of Mr Marcos think that he might resort to war - if he is president - in order to get Sabah back, we are not sure that Mr. Marcos, even if he is elected in three years will be able to mount the same action as his father once did. We are almost certain that he will not do it that way. All eyes will be trained at him if he becomes the president and it will not be easy to replicate an Operation Merdeka.

Besides, there is no guarantee that the current PH leadership will be able to organise the country's armed forces to a level that will be on par with that of Malaysia which the next president will need to realistically get Sabah back.

If the country's armed forces are not at that level, there is virtually no possibility that we can take back Sabah by force. You see, it is almost next to impossible for the country to possess the military arsenal required to achieve that sort of operation if the country does not go on a buying spree beginning today and spend at the very least a few hundreds of billions of dollars. 

And even then, there is time constraint to factor in. Even if you order within the next three years, you are not guaranteed that you will have delivery of ships, submarines, attack helicopters, radars, missile systems, etc.,in  two or three and not even 4, 5 years after the order is placed in time for Mr Marcos to launch his "war" to take Sabah back (if that's what his supporters believe he will do if he becomes president.)

But having outlined the downside, we do not suggest that the current leadership give up on Sabah claim. President Aquino must prepare the way for the next president to achieve what he cannot achieve today. It is the least he can do. And obviously, he cannot do that if he accepts to be the little 'toy boy' of Najib.

~~ Admins, Philippine Sabah Claim Forum
30 June 2013

We are asking President Aquino to be a patriot in the truest sense of the term: To 'love' his own (people) first and the Peninsular Malaysians only a distant second

We would like to clarify the belief that Sabah claim has been submitted to the International Court of Justice for Arbitration: The Sabah dispute has not been brought to the ICJ for arbitration because up until now, Malaysia has refused to honor the Manila Accord which is all about solving this thorny issue. The Manila Accord is a UN treaty (8029) signed by the chief executives of three nations in 1963, namely Republic of Indonesia, Malaya Federation and the Republic of the Philippines.

The ICJ will not entertain Philippine case if Malaysia does not accept ICJ jurisdiction over the case. Both countries must agree to do it.

It is incumbent upon the Philippine president to demand Najib Razak of the Malaysia Federation to honor the Manila Accord in order to try to solve the impasse. If the Philippine president refuses to do it, he will not be serving the interest of his country and his people but will be seen as one who is serving the interest of Kuala Lumpur.

President Aquino has a responsibility as president to do what is right to preserve the integrity of the Philippine Republic and a moral and legal obligation to fight for the rights of his people.

We agree that the job of being president of the country is not easy but we are convinced that President Aquino was aware of the difficulties and the problems that would face him before he ran for president. And we are also convinced that he was aware of the Sabah dispute before he "applied" for the job.

To try to bring the Sabah issue to the ICJ, will be an "easier road" to take than the road of an armed conflict which might happen again if the President decides to keep the Sabah claim issue in the back burner.

We are asking President Aquino to be a patriot in the truest sense of the term: To 'love' his own (people) first and the Peninsular Malaysians only a distant second.

~~ Admins, Philippine Sabah Claim Forum
27 June 2013

Mr. President, there is no shame in standing by the Sultanate, by the Tausugs, by the Filipinos in Sabah

President Aquino, what have you done to protect and defend your people in Sabah?

Mr President, these people who are being chased like animals out of Sabah, their homeland, by Malaysians are your people too. They are Filipinos and warrant the protection and defence of the Republic.

Grim news: Malaysia subjects the Tausugs to further indignities...has PH Government found out whose remains they are?

Sabah News
Police To Check For Terrorist Remains In Kampung Tanduo
 
LAHAD DATU, April 9 (Bernama) -- Periodic checks will be conducted in Kampung Tanduo for the remains of terrorists from the militant group which invaded the village on Feb 12, said Sabah Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Tan Kok Lian.

He said K9 dog units would be used to detect graves which may contain such remains.

"We will check the area because there may still be some bodies buried in the village," he said after surveying several locations in Kampung Tanduo near here Tuesday.

Police discovered three graves containing 15 bodies, including that of a woman, and removed them from the village yesterday.

Mr. President, there is no shame in standing by the Sultanate, by the Tausugs, by the Filipinos in Sabah... there can only be pride because they are your people too. You can unite the country by standing by your people in time of crisis.

Mr President, every child left orphan because Malaysian troops killed his/her father or both will ask you why you did nothing while foreign toops killed a member/members of his/her family. Are you prepared to face that child to explain why you turned your back while Malaysian harmed his/her loved ones?

~~ Defenders of the Philippine Sabah and Spratly Claims
19 April 2013 

Aquino Government's un-involved observer stance on Sabah claim by Filipinos - beyond comprehension

In her article "Reclaiming Sabah", Manila Standard Today columnist Linda V. Jimeno, rightly points out: 

"Why the government is taking the stance of an un-involved observer is beyond comprehension. When the sovereignty and dominion over the territory was transferred to the Philippine government by the Sultanate in 1962–which the government accepted as shown in its many overt acts–the government took on the responsibility of reclaiming Sabah and protecting Filipinos who initiate non-violent actions to revive the Philippine claim." 

Full article: 

Reclaiming Sabah Posted on Apr. 15, 2013 Manila Standard Today

In my column last week entitled “Legal basis for the Sabah claim,” I discussed how the Sulu Sultanate came to acquire North Borneo (Sabah) and exercise dominion and sovereignty over it, and how Malaysia  came to possess the territory. 

In this article, questions on what the Philippines has done to make an official claim over Sabah and how Malaysia responded will be discussed, culling from the booklet written by Prof. Emmanuel Q. Yap, founder of the People’s Patriotic Movement. 

When the Sulu Sultanate transferred by a legal instrument its dominion and sovereignty over Sabah to the Philippine government in 1962, did the government do anything to assert its ownership over Sabah? Yes. Even before the Federation of Malaysia came into being, the Philippine government, in 1950, advised the British government that it had a claim over Sabah. Too, the Federation of Malaya (not yet Malaysia) recognized that there was an Aide Memoire dated August 2, 1962 from the Foreign Affairs Department of the Philippines which reminded the Federation of Malaya that “Britain occupies the territory by the terms of the lease which, in no way, entitles the British government to claim ownership or sovereignty over the territory or to transfer it to any entity whatsoever.” 

The Federation of Malaya acknowledged this Aide Memoire by also handing an Aide Memoire to the Philippine Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur on October 3, 1962 stating that the government of the Federation of Malaya and the British government agreed that they would work towards a formal agreement for the transfer of the North Borneo territory (and Singapore) to the Federation of Malaysia. No such formal agreement was ever reached. Yet, Britain proceeded to include Sabah among the territories it transferred to Malaysia. 

On December 29, 1962, the Philippines and the United Kingdom announced an agreement to hold talks on the Philippine claim. Thus, from January 28 to February 1, 1963 the first Ministerial Conference on the Claims was held in London with then Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez heading the RP panel. 

Did not the Philippines object to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963 which included Sabah? Yes, it did, together with Indonesia which, in turn, was claiming Sarawak. Thus, then Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, Indonesian President Soekarno and Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal met in Manila in August 1963.  The Manila Accord of 1963 was signed where Malaysia agreed that the inclusion of Sabah in its Federation would not prejudice the Philippine claim. Malaysia acknowledged the right of the Philippines to pursue its claim in accordance with international laws and the United Nations principles of pacific settlement of disputes. 

From February 5 to 10, 1964, the first round of talks between Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia (known as the Maphilindo talks) was held in Bangkok. Around the same time, President Macapagal and the Malaysian Prime Minister met in Phnom Penh. The Tunku agreed to elevate the claim to the International Court of Justice and encouraged the Philippines to submit a memorandum detailing the basis of its claims. The foreign affairs ministers of the Maphilindo states held a second round of talks from March 5 to 6, 1964. Then in June 1964 the Philippines gave to Malaysia its memorandum, “Philippine Claim to North Borneo Vol. 1” as suggested by the Malaysian Prime Minister. 

What happened in the Maphilindo talks in Bangkok? The talks failed because Malaysia unilaterally rejected the Philippine claim to Sabah and then terminated the talks. In so doing, it arrogated unto itself the power of a judge while being a contending party in the dispute. The talks were held supposedly to agree on what modes of settlement, as provided in the Manila Accord of 1963, were acceptable to both governments. 

How significant are the meetings in London and in Bangkok to the Philippine claim? The London foreign ministers’ meeting was significant in that it gave the Philippine claim the status of a legitimate international dispute. On the other hand, the Maphilindo agreement to meet in Bangkok pursuant to the Manila Accord was significant in that it contained a reservation agreed upon by the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia that the formation of Malaysia would not prejudice the unresolved Philippine claim over North Borneo (Sabah). All three countries also agreed to settle the dispute by peaceful means such as arbitration. In effect, therefore, Malaysia accepted the existence of the legitimacy of the Philippine claim to Sabah. 

What is the effect of Malaysia’s unilateral termination of the Maphilindo talks in Bangkok? Malaysia violated several solemn agreements. One of them is the Manila Accord. Another is the agreement between the Philippine President and the Malaysian Prime Minister in Phnom Penh that the two countries would discuss the “best way of settling the claim, not precluding reference to the International Court of Justice.” Still another was the exchange of Communique between the two countries where both essentially agreed to discuss the best way to settle the claim. 

Should the Sultanate of Sulu be blamed for taking proactive action in reclaiming Sabah? The manner the Sultanate asserted its claim may not have been the proper and legal way but this writer will not go as far as blaming the Sultanate. The historical records speak for themselves. Why the government is taking the stance of an un-involved observer is beyond comprehension. When the sovereignty and dominion over the territory was transferred to the Philippine government by the Sultanate in 1962–which the government accepted as shown in its many overt acts–the government took on the responsibility of reclaiming Sabah and protecting Filipinos who initiate non-violent actions to revive the Philippine claim. 

E-mail: ritalindaj@gmail.com   Visit: www.jimenolaw.com.ph

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Should the Aquino Government now kill the Sabah claim to appease Malaysia?