Phl has historic Sabah claim

The Philippines has a historical claim over Sabah since the 1960s, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said yesterday.

“We, as a republic, have a claim over Sabah since the 1960s, we have historical claim over Sabah and that's a fact," Marcos said in a statement.

The only son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos also urged the Aquino administration to help the Filipinos in Sabah, including supporters of the sultan of Sulu.

Marcos said being Filipino citizens, the government should also protect the royal army of the sultanate of Sulu and their supporters now holed up in Lahud Datu.

“Before we even talk about the claim we should protect our fellow Filipinos. We should talk to the Malaysians to spare the Filipinos from harm or harassment and to resolve this matter peacefully,” Marcos added.

As tension builds up in Sabah, lawyer Oliver Lozano, who claims to represent the sultanate of Sulu, has pushed for a “solomonic solution” to the crisis.

Lozano also bared a plan to file an impeachment complaint against President Aquino should he fail to properly resolve the standoff.

“Your Excellency, concerned sectors are asking me to file impeachment complaint against you. However, we have pending suggestions to you on how to resolve the Sabah issue; hence, the deferment of the impeachment complaint in order to afford you fair opportunity to be heard or due process that hears before it condemns in lieu of trial by publicity,” Lozano said in a letter to the President last Monday coursed through the DOJ.

Lozano suggested that a Sabah commission be created to resolve the crisis.

He said that Sabah has “multi- million dollars of resources, which should have been utilized for massive economic development of Mindanao as the key solution to the Mindanao conflict.”

Meanwhile, UP law professor Harry Roque condemned the Malaysian government for using fighter jets and air strikes against the followers of the sultanate of Sulu.

“Under human rights law, the use of force in police operations should be absolutely necessary and strictly proportional to the threat posed by the Filipinos in Sabah. Malaysia has committed an internationally wrongful act,” Roque said in a statement.

“Respect for the right to life of a police suspect requires that the nature and degree of force used be proportionate to the threat posed by the suspect to the safety and security of the police officers, other individuals and society as a whole. Malaysian law enforcement officials should, as far as possible, apply nonviolent means before resorting to force, and in particular, the resort to air strikes,” he said.

He expressed belief that the Philippine government should “demand that the international community ask Malaysia to cease and desist from further breaching human rights law” and “also pay compensation to the victims of its use of disproportionate use of force.” -