Lawmaker asks DFA to print note verbale in full

Amid Malacañang’s denial that the government has abandoned its claim over Sabah, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to publish in full the note verbale it reportedly handed to the Malaysian embassy last week to end speculations that the Philippines

has offered to downgrade its claim over the oil-rich island-state to win Malaysia’ s support for its arbitration case against China over the disputed territories in the West PH Sea before the United Nations.

“For the sake of transparency, the full text of the note verbale should be published to stop speculations that we downgraded out claim over Sabah. The best evidence is the document itself, so I urge (Foreign Affairs) Secretary (Al- bert) del Rosario to publish the full text of the note verbale to be able to assure ourselves that there is no dropping of our claim. The best way to do that is to publish the note verbale to put to rest all these speculations,” he told the Manila Bulletin in a phone interview.

DFA spokesperson Charles Jose earlier said the Sabah issue was not in any way included in the note verbale sent last week to the Malaysian embassy.

He explained that the note was “about the features on the South China Sea and their implications on the extended continental shelf (ECS) claims.”

‘Sabah is ours’

Rodriguez was among lawmakers who demanded an explanation from the DFA on the note verbale warning that it will be treason to drop the country’s legal claim over Sabah.

He vowed to file a resolution calling for an investigation into the “alarming” report allegedly disclosing the DFA’s gesture to inform the Malaysian government about its move to review Manila’s protest lodged before the United Nations protesting the joint submission by Malaysia and Vietnam to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) which effectively declared Sabah as a Malaysian territory.

MAGDALO partylist Rep. Francisco Ashley Acedillo, a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, joined Rodriguez in asking the DFA to shed light on the “disturbing” report.

“If true, this is disturbing to say the least. I will definitely require DFA to explain this matter before Congress. It’s either that or they clarify their official position on this right away,” Acedillo said in a text message.

Rodriguez, a lawyer and former law dean remains optimistic that the DFA has not given up the PH’s legal right over Sabah.

“I believe Secretary del Rosario and other DFA officials will not do that because it will be treason to drop our claim over that island,” he said.

“The government owns Sabah,” he insisted.