Caught in crossfire

Beyond the historic 1878 lease document that indicated the true ownership of Sabah as belonging to the Sultanate of Sulu is the fate of nearly one million Filipinos who are the most abused individuals, as they consider themselves abandoned by the two countries.

The dormant claim had caused complications to the status of Filipino residents in Sabah, since the Malaysian government refuses to recognize them, afraid that they may someday instigate a breakaway.

The Sabah settlers also refuse to obtain Philippine passports because of the high possibility of them being deported. A bigger problem is that, due to the unsettled conflict, the government does not have any diplomatic outpost in Sabah, which practically leaves the Filipino residents to fend for their own. Filipinos living in Sabah are thus subjected to frequent exploitation by Malaysian authorities since they are considered illegal immigrants.

Also, as a result of the spat, no serious discussions have been made on the residency status of Filipinos living in Sabah, who are considered “undocumented aliens” by the Malaysian government.

The sad plight of the Sabah residents was highlighted during the 2013 standoff in Lahad Datu, which is a district in Sabah, between the followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram and Malaysian forces.

The Sultanate of Sulu had a historic lease agreement with the British government, which occupied Malaysia, over the eastern part of North Borneo.

The British authorities, without seeking consent from the Sulu Sultanate, turned over Sabah to the Federation of Malaysia when it was created in 1963.

The Sultanate ceded to the Philippine government its title and sovereignty on Sabah to President Diosdado Macapagal in 1962.

Jamalul Kiram, however, is just one of the many claimants to the Sulu throne, and unifying the royal house is another hurdle in initiating talks with Malaysia.

Former President Benigno Aquino III, who had an intimate relation with former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, had decided to maintain the claim dormant.

The quandary on providing assistance to the Filipinos can only be answered by an agreement between both countries, however.

The Philippines, as a signatory to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and, being the first Southeast Asian country to adopt international legal standards to keep stateless people from falling into legal limbo, is required to immediately settle the situation.

Despite the compelling need to negotiate, however, past administrations have failed to take action, which again places on the shoulders of President Rodrigo Duterte the definitive steps that should be taken.

The President, such as in the drug problem and the relations with China, had shown his capability to muster political will in improving the condition of all Filipinos.

Malaysia had also indicated willingness to resolve the situation, since it also poses a serious humanitarian problem for Kuala Lumpur, which had to constantly keep track of the Sabah population due to the indeterminate citizenship of its residents.

Settling the fate of Filipinos, however, would need to address the ownership issue with the Sultanate that the Philippine government supports.

Both countries, nonetheless, are leading members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has a consensus mechanism in settling disputes which is a possible venue to start the negotiations.

The years of dormancy of the issue should end now while Filipinos have a resolute leader in President Duterte, who the nation trusts will act in the interest of the nation.

During the Senate probe on the irregularities in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), which is the agency at the forefront of government assistance in the battle against the coronavirus disease 2019, some P15 billion was alleged to have been stashed away over the years, an amount intended for Filipinos in dire need of medical attention.

PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales denied coddling an alleged syndicate that oversees corrupt practices in the agency.

Morales has a reason to deny the allegation, since the syndicate had been imbedded in the agency, which has been a favorite conduit to siphon off public funds. Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Francisco Duque III and the appointees of former President Noynoy Aquino should be those providing information about PhilHealth’s sinister past.

The Dengvaxia vaccine scam was only one of those perpetrated by the Aquino administration led by former Department of Budget Secretary Butch Abad and Noynoy’s DoH chief Janette Garin, mainly through PhilHealth funds.

It was Garin, who is now Iloilo Representative at the House, who pressed for the reintroduction of Dengvaxia,

“Years of dormancy of the issue should end now while Filipinos have a resolute leader in President Duterte, who the nation trusts will act in the interest of the nation.

“Filipinos living in Sabah are thus subjected to frequent exploitation by Malaysian authorities since they are considered illegal immigrants.

“The syndicate’s existence did not start during President Duterte’s watch, and dismantling it will need probers to backtrack to discover its roots.