THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday that it is ready to set the record straight regarding the alleged dropping of the Philippines’s Sabah claim.
“We reiterate in absolute terms that our note verbale of March 16 is not about Sabah. If necessary, we are prepared to clarify the matter in an executive session,” DFA Spokesman Charles Jose said in a briefing.
Jose did not explain why the department’s clarification would be made behind closed doors.
The DFA was responding to the Vera Files report that the DFA is offering a review of its 2009 protest against Kuala Lumpur’s submission to a United Nations (UN) body that impinged on the Philippines’s Sabah claim.
Vera Files said the note verbale was a tacit solicitation of Malaysia’s support for Manila’s case against China in the South China Sea maritime row.
The DFA responded to the story the following day, stressing that the note verbale did not, in any way, mention the Sabah claim, much less hint at any offer to downgrade Manila’s claim.
Following the publication of the controversial story, Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Kuala Lumpur “has not, and does not, acknowledge the Philippines’s claim on Sabah.”
Asked for reaction to Anifah’s comment, Jose said: “Historical records that entitle our claim to Sabah and we are still pursuing this claim.”
“While they dismiss our claim, at the same time, they are paying rent to the Sultan of Sulu,” Jose added.
Kiram was the acknowledged leader of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo.
The sultanate that is based in Mindanao once controlled North Borneo, which is now known as Sabah. It acquired Sabah as a reward for helping the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam defeat a rebellion.
According to the sultanate, it did not relinquish its sovereignty over Sabah and only leased the territory to the British North Borneo Co. starting in 1878.
Up to now, the heirs of the sultanate receive rental for Sabah from the Malaysian government currently equivalent to P70,000 a year.
According to Kiram, the rent they receive only proves that the sultanate owns Sabah.
Former Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN Lauro Baja Jr. said the Philippine claim to Sabah will be “prejudiced” if Malaysia accedes to the DFA’s request.
However, Baja said that economically, the timber and mineral-rich Sabah is much more valuable than Spratlys, and the Philippines position on the Sabah claim was stronger than its claim on the Spratlys.