Former Sen. Joker Arroyo
MANILA, Philippines—If only to allay any public concerns, the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should reveal if the Sabah claim played a part in the Malaysia-brokered peace talks, former Sen. Joker Arroyo said Monday.
Specifically, if the Philippines agreed to drop its claim to the resource-rich region in favor of Malaysia in exchange for the latter’s acting as facilitator of the peace negotiations between the government and the MILF that was held in Kuala Lumpur.
Arroyo pressed the two sides who signed last Thursday the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) to “make it clear that they were not vested with the power to touch the Sabah question.”
This is “for the peace of mind of the Filipino people who are confronted with the insatiable annexation drive of China to gobble up Philippine islets,” he said, referring to the aggressive moves of the communist giant in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
Sabah not dangled
In an interview, Arroyo said it was commendable of Senate President Franklin Drilon to say that Sabah was not dangled as a concession to Malaysia for brokering the peace talks.
He pointed out, however, that neither the Senate nor the House of Representatives were a party to the peace negotiations that were hammered out “purely” by the executive branch.
And, “since Malaysia was the so-called honest broker, this has raised eyebrows,” Arroyo said.
Sabah has long been a contentious issue between the Philippines and Malaysia.
Last week the peace pact with the MILF was signed witnessed by President Aquino and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Arroyo said on Monday that no Philippine president had given up on the claim, and the Aquino administration “can do no less.”
“The Malaysians are toying with the idea of setting up a consulate in Sabah, thus instituting a de jure possession. The government has not said anything in response. As they say, silence is admission,” he said.
Arroyo recalled the antecedents of the Sabah question.
US was ambiguous
He said the Philippines and Malaysia held a conference when the Sabah issue came up in the 1960s. “The British, former colonizers of Malaysia, stood solidly behind their former ward. The US, our former colonizer, did the opposite. She was ambiguous,” he said.
Arroyo said the Philippine foreign office summoned Ambassador Leon Ma. Guerrero from abroad to join the Philippine panel.
“If I remember correctly, Guerrero in his clipped stentorian voice said something to the effect: ‘Rentals, rentals, why in the devil were you (the British) paying rentals if you owned the property?’ That said it all,” Arroyo said.
The Philippines staked its claim to Sabah in 1962 after the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo gave the government, then under President Diosdado Macapagal, legal authority to negotiate on their behalf.
The Sultanate of Sulu obtained Sabah from the Sultanate of Brunei as a gift for helping quell a rebellion. It leased Sabah to the British North Borneo Co. in 1878, but Sabah was joined to Malaysia when the latter gained its independence from Britain in 1963.
Kuala Lumpur, however, paid an annual rent of 5,300 ringgit ($1,600) to the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu.
Both Drilon and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said they doubted the Sabah issue was put on the peace table, saying it was an entirely separate issue from the peace talks.