Philippine urges to pursue Sabah claim

Former Senate President Ernesto Maceda on Sunday urged the Philippine government to resume active pursuit of the Philippines' claim to Sabah, as the standoff between Malaysian forces and an armed group of followers of the Sultan of Sulu continued in the resource-rich territory.

Maceda, a former ambassador to the United States who once chaired the Senate foreign relations `committee, said in a statement the Sabah issue "has been neglected and sleeping for a long time. It’s time to act to regain what is rightfully ours."

Malacanang Palace, however, remained non-committal as of Sunday on the matter of the government boosting the clamor of the Sultanate of Sulu to revive the Sabah claim, saying no comments are forthcoming until the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has fully briefed the Executive.

Maceda said in his statement, “The people of the Sultanate of Sulu have a legitimate claim to Sabah considering that the British and Malaysian governments used to pay rentals for Sabah to the Sultan of Sulu.” According to one of the heirs of the sultanate interviewed by InterAksyon.com earlier, the check payments to cover rentals had not stopped.

According to Maceda, “renewed government efforts is the only way to stop the followers of the Sultan of Sulu from taking up arms and invading Sabah to press their claim."

Palace keeps discreet distance

Malacanang Palace, however, kept a discreet distance from the issue on Sunday.

Responding to journalists’ questions on whether the Palace planned to field an emissary to one of the heirs, Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, to ask him to recall his followers from Sabah; and whether Manila will actively seek talks to revive the Sabah claim, Deputy Palace Spokesperson Abigail Valte said on state-run Radyo ng Bayan, “At this point, [we won’t comment yet].

We’d like to defer comment on that and the DFA will be the one who will give us updates on the situation in Sabah if and when they deem it to be necessary.”

The Malaysian authorities have reacted to the presence of the large group of “intruders” by deploying hundreds of troops on sea and land patrols, but assured Manila that the matter will be resolved peacefully.

At the weekend, the Philippine government said ensuring the safety of Filipinos on the island is its main concern, and appealed for a peaceful resolution of the matter.

But certain political leaders, notably another ex-Senate president, Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Maceda, have indicated that the standoff just won’t go away unless the root issue---the Sabah claim that has found no closure over nearly half a century---is addressed decisively. Pimentel, whose policy studies center at the University of Makati sponsored a forum in late 2011 on the Sabah claim, told InterAksyon.com earlier the Philippine government must ensure “our Muslim brothers and sisters” get their due---a remark seen as frowning on simply conceding the matter.

The Sunday statement from Maceda, who is seeking a Senate seat anew under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), noted that the Sultanate of Sulu ceded to the Philippine government its title and sovereignty to then President Diosdado Macapagal in 1962. "The Philippine government should now seriously consider bringing its claim to the United Nations," Maceda said.-Interaksyon (February 17, 2013 2:44PM)