8/13/2019 An Outline of the Philippine Claim to Sabah.doc

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An Outline of the PhilippineClaim to SabahPosted on August 28, 2013 by Atty. Me lin M. Magallona in !P"o um

1. " om the time it #as a$%ui ed by the Sultan of Sulu f om theSultan of & unei up to 2' Ap il 1()2 #hen it #as fo mally $ededand t ansfe ed to the *epubli$ of the Philippines unde the title ofso+e eignty, the Sultanate of Sulu had $ontinuously been the

ightful so+e eign of the po tion o th &o neo -no#n as Sabah.

1.1. n the $ou se of inte nal a med $onfli$t in the Sultanate of& unei efe ed by some histo ians as /$i+il #a , lasting fo mo ethan 10 yea s, the Sultan of & unei e%uested the assistan$e of theSultan of Sulu, #ith the p omise that in the e+ent of +i$to y he#ould g ant him the te ito ies in o th &o neo unde his dominion."ollo#ing the +i$to y of Sultan Muaddin of & unei, #ith the a medinte +ention of the Sultan of Sulu, a$$o dingly he $eded Sabah tothe Sultan of Sulu in 1 0'.

1.2. &y the e$la ation of 2' Ap il 1()2 issued by the ei s of theSultan of Sulu, the te ito y of Sabah as thus e%ui ed by $essionf om the Sultan of & unei #as $eded and t ansfe ed in so+e eignty

to the *epubli$ of the Philippines. 4he e$la ation #as entitled/*e$ognition and Autho ity in "a+ou of the *epubli$ of thePhilippines.

1.2.1. &y this e$la ation, the Philippine $laim to so+e eignty anddominion o+e a po tion of o th &o neo be$ame a legal $laim.

Afte the $ession f om the Sultanate, the Philippines a$%ui ed theights o+e the te ito y of o th &o neo #hi$h it #as duty5bound as

a so+e eign to p ote$t and p ese +e.

1.3. 4his e$la ation follo#ed the petition of 6 "eb ua y 1()2 of theei s of the Sultan of Sulu add essed to the epa tment of "o eign

Affai s. n this Petition the ei s e7p essed thei intention to ha+e

the po tion of o th &o neo in$luded in the national te ito y of thePhilippines.

1.3.1. &y the nst ument of 12 Septembe 1()2, the *epubli$ of thePhilippines a$$epted the $ession of so+e eignty o+e Sabahp o$laimed by the Sultanate of Sabah.

1.3.2. On 2' Ap il 1()2, $ong ess adopted /*esolution u ging theP esident of the Philippines to ta-e the ne$essa y steps fo the

e$o+e y of a $e tain po tion of the sland of &o neo and ad a$entislands #hi$h belong to the Philippines.

1.3.3. On the basis of the e$la ation of 2' Ap il 1()2 of the ei sof the Sultan of Sulu on the t ansfe of so+e eignty o+e Sabah,Cong ess ena$ted *epubli$ A$t o. 6'') amending the &aseline9a# in *epubli$ A$t o. 30'), the amendment p o+iding that the/Philippines has a$%ui ed dominion and so+e eignty o+e Sabahsituated in o th &o neo.

2. Malaysia:s $laim to so+e eignty o+e Sabah #as based on itsin$lusion in the fo mation of the "ede ation of Malaysia. t is a $laimof de i+ati+e title, based on;o+e nment had in Sabah, #hi$h#e e de i+ed f omlan+ille:s position, ?ulian Paun$efote, assistantpe manent unde se$ eta y of the & itish "o eign Offi$e, de$la ed;/ e must be $a eful@to p ese +e the Sultan:s status as aSo+e eign to the east $oast of &o neo. "u the he said; /4heso+e eignty of o th &o neo is +ested in the Sultan of Sulu F anystipulation & itain might ma-e / espe$ting that te ito y must ha+ethe p e+ious assent of the Sultan signified by him th ough theCompany.

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3. o#e+e , in de ogation of the fo egoing $ommitment andde$la ations, on 2) ?une 1(') the & itish >o+e nment ente ed intoan ag eement #ith the & itish o th &o neo Company o+e nment itself openly a$-no#ledged as e7$luding thepo#e of so+e eignty and that te ito ial so+e eignty emained #iththe Sultan of Sulu.

3.3. en$e, the legality of & itish anne7ation of o th &o neo,in$luding Sabah, pe sists as a fundamental issue in the Philippine$laim to Sabah.

3.3.1. "o me Ame i$an >o+e no 5>ene al in the Philippines," an$is &u ton a ison, des$ ibed the anne7ation as /politi$alagg ession and u ged the Philippine >o+e nment to ta-e a$tion.

'. hen Sabah #as in$o po ated into the fo mation of the"ede ation of Malaysia, the illegality of anne7ing Sabah as a C o#nColony emains in Malaysia:s su$$ession5in5inte est f om > eat& itain.

'.1. 4h ough the >o+e nment of Malaya, the & itish >o+e nmentannoun$ed that its te ito ies in o th &o neo, in$luding Sabah,#ould fo m pa t of a ne# "ede ation of Malaysia.

'.2. 4he Philippines p otested the & itish de$ision and $alled& itain:s attention to the so+e eign ights of the Philippines o+eSabah. Afte p ot a$ted negotiations, the & itish >o+e nment

ag eed to meet Philippine ep esentati+es to dis$uss the p oblem ofo th &o neo. eld in 9ondon in 1()3, the negotiations p o+ed tobe in$on$lusi+e. n the meantime, the founding date of the ne#"ede ation #as announ$ed.

6. On the initiati+e of P esident iosdado Ma$apagal, a Summit$onfe en$e #as $on+ened in Manila f om ?uly 30 to August 6,1()3. n this $onfe en$e, on 31 ?uly 1()3, P esident Soe-a no of

ndonesia, P esident iosdado Ma$apagal and P ime Ministe4un-u Abdul *ahman of the "ede ation of Malaysia /app o+ed anda$$epted the Manila A$$o d, pa ag aph 12 of #hi$h stipulates asfollo#s;/4he Philippines made it $lea that its position on the in$lusion of

o th &o neo in the "ede ation of Malaysia is sub e$t to the final

out$ome of the Philippine $laim to &o neo. 4he Ministe s too- noteof the Philippine $laim and the ight of the Philippines to $ontinue topu sue it in a$$o dan$e #ith inte national la# and the p in$iple ofthe pa$ifi$ settlement of disputes. 4hey ag eed that the in$lusion of

o th &o neo in the "ede ation of Malaysia #ould not p e udi$eeithe the $laim o any ight the eunde . Mo eo+e , in the $onte7t ofthei $lose asso$iation, the th ee $ount ies ag eed to e7e t the bestendea+o s to b ing the $laim to a ust and e7peditious solution bypea$eful means@of the pa ties: o#n $hoi$e, in $onfo mity #ith theCha te of the !nited ations and the &andung e$la ation.o+e nment signed a ?oint Statement on 6 August 1()3,

pa ag aph 8 of #hi$h eads;/ n a$$o dan$e #ith pa ag aph 12 of the Manila A$$o d, the th ee

eads of >o+e nment de$ided to e%uest the & itish >o+e nment toag ee to see- a ust and e7peditious solution to the disputebet#een the & itish >o+e nment and the Philippine >o+e nment$on$e ning Sabah < o th &o neo=@4he th ee eads of>o+e nment ta-e $ogniGan$e of the position ega ding thePhilippine $laim to Sabah < o th &o neo= afte the establishment ofthe "ede ation of Malaysia as p o+ided unde pa ag aph 12 of theManila A$$o d, that is, that the in$lusion of Sabah < o th &o neo= inthe "ede ation of Malaysia does not p e udi$e the $laim o any ightthe eunde . o+e nments ag ee as soon as possible on a mode of settlementthat is mutually a$$eptable to both pa ties.

).'. n ?une 1()), the t#o >o+e nments, in a oint $ommuni%uJ,ag eed on$e again to abide by the Manila A$$o d and the ?ointStatementF they eite ated thei $ommon pu pose to $la ify thePhilippine $laim and the means of settling it.

).6. n ?uly 1()8, the Philippine delegation p esented the Malaysiandelegation #ith a # itten %uestion, / ill you dis$uss #ith the modesof settlement of ou $laim at the $onfe en$e in &ang-o-,i espe$ti+e of you o#n unilate al assessment of the suffi$ien$y ofthe $la ifi$ation gi+enE Malaysia:s ans#e #as un%ualifiedly in theaffi mati+e.

).). n August 1()8, again in a oint $ommuni%uJ, the t#o>o+e nments ag eed that tal-s on an offi$ial le+el #ould be held assoon as possible ega ding the Philippine $laim to Sabah.

). . 4he fo egoing unde ta-ings assume signifi$an$e fo the easonthat they a e not unilate al a$ts of the PhilippinesF they a e$ommitments ointly made by Malaysia and the Philippines. 4hey

epeatedly affi m Malaysia:s e$ognition of the e7isten$e of thePhilippine $laim to Sabah and its #illingness to settle the disputea ising f om this $laim.

). .1. n $omplete dis ega d of its $ommitments, Malaysia has beenin full et eat. t is no# in denial of the e7isten$e of the Philippine$laim to Sabah. n $onse%uen$e, it ests its $ase on the illegality ofthe $oloniGation of Sabah by the & itish C o#n.