DUTERTE SEEKS AID FOR CITIZENS
Philippine president asks Malaysia to help Filipinos awaiting repatriation in Sabah
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appealed to Malaysia’s “humanitarian sense” in helping Filipinos awaiting repatriation in the disputed area of Sabah.
“That has been a very ‘ticklish’ issue between our governments and we are trying to appeal to the humanitarian sense of the Malaysian government to help our citizens in your country as we would do for your citizens if they are in our country,” Duterte said according to Philstar.com.
He said this during a cabinet meeting on Monday.
Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said there were some 3,000 Filipinos in Sabah awaiting repatriation, while 2,000 had been returned to the Philippines.
Last month, Malaysia issued a note rejecting the territorial claims of the Philippines over Sabah.
Foreign Affairs S ecretary Teodoro Locsin Jr had earlier said “Sabah is not in Malaysia”.
This prompted a response from Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who described the remark as “irresponsible” as it would affect ties between the two nations.