‘Don’t even dream of it,’ Locsin says of ‘repeated offers’ to PH to drop Sabah claim

MANILA, Philippines — “Don’t even dream of it.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said this Sunday as he bared the “repeated offers” in the past for the Philippines to abandon its claim over Sabah.

“As a matter of history there have been repeated offers to abandon our Sabah claim from aspiring presidential candidates since the late 1970s, usually opposition because they are most in need of campaign funds but administration as well. Don´t even dream of it,” Locsin said in a tweet.

As a matter of history there have been repeated offers to abandon our Sabah claim from aspiring presidential candidates since the late 1970s, usually opposition because they are most in need of campaign funds but administration as well. Don´t even dream of it.

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) August 30, 2020

Locsin made the remark after Malaysia issued a note verbale where it rejected the territorial claim of the Philippines over Sabah.

According to the note verbale,which was dated Friday, Aug. 29, and submitted by the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations, Kuala Lumpur “has never recognized the Republic of the Philippines’ claim to the Malaysian state of Sabah, formerly known as North Borneo.”

Malaysia also noted an October 2001 decision by the Judgment of the International Court of Justice on Manila’s claim over the disputed state.

The Philippines has been staking its claim over Sabah based on the assertion that the Sultanate of Sulu rightfully owns the northern part of Sabah as several historians believe the former Sultan of Sulu was given the land in exchange for helping the Sultan of Brunei defeat his enemies.

[atm]