Default Thumbnail

Padilla seeks gov’t aid to help Sulu Sultanate

August 10, 2022 Camille P. Balagtas 348 views

To claim $14.92B from Malaysia

IF the Philippines exerted “much effort” to assert its rights over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), why is it not doing the same for our rights over Sabah?

Neophyte Senator Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla raised this question Tuesday in his first privilege speech, where he called on the government to support the Sultanate of Sulu in its efforts to receive US$14.92 billion in payment from Malaysia.

Padilla also stressed it is just right for the Philippines to exert all efforts to help the Sultanate of Sulu and its heirs in the same way it helps any Filipino inside and outside the country.

He added it is the mandate of the State to help Filipino citizens and that this should not be a cause of “tension” in Philippine-Malaysia relations.

“Sariwa pa sa atin ang makasaysayang desisyon ng Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration noong 2016 ukol sa West Philippine Sea. Binuhusan ng pansin at panahon ang usaping ito na nagbunga ng monumental na desisyon para sa kapakinabangan ng bansa. Kung kinaya nating maglunsad ng makasaysayang pagkilos sa katulad na national agenda, bakit tila po salat na salat sa pansin ang Sabah?” he said.

Padilla noted the French Arbitration Court had ordered Malaysia to pay US$14.92 billion as “rent for the territory”.

In 135 years, he noted that the Sultanate had received payment from the UK (United Kingdom) from 1878 to 1962 and from Malaysia from 1963 to 2013.

Malaysia stopped payments in 2013 following an incident in Lahad Datu.

The stoppage of payment prompted the Sulu Royal family to file a complaint before an international tribunal in 2018 – with the Malaysian government only attending thrice. “Patuloy ang pangbabalewala ng gobyerno ng Malaysia sa arbitrasyon,” said Padilla.

On the other hand, he said the claimants won their case before the Madrid High Court in May 2020. The French Arbitration Court affirmed the decision and ordered Malaysia to pay US$14.9 billion to the heirs.

Padilla acknowledged that the issue is a “sensitive” one, yet the matter cannot just be ignored as it has “grave” implications.

“Isipin natin: kung malaki ang kapakinabangan ng bansa mula sa desisyong ito – kabilang na ang buwis na bubuhos mula sa parangal sa mga claimants – bakit wala tayong ginagawa para tulungan sila?” he said.

He further said that it will be grave negligence to allow the Sultanate to depend only on private organizations to address their legitimate complaints.

“Isapuso at isip po natin: Bilang Pilipino at iisang bansa, isang tagumpay ang panalo sa internasyunal na hukuman ng mga tagapagmana ng Sultanato para sa kanilang karapatan sa Sabah,” he said.

Padilla also noted President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July, had said that, “I will not preside over any process that will abandon even one square inch of the territory of the Republic of the Philippines to any foreign power.”

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel also urged the Philippine government and Malaysia to bring their respective claims to Sabah to the United Nations (UN).

During the interpellation of Pimentel to Sen. Padilla, the senator from Cagayan de Oro said this is one way to end the decades-long “territorial dispute” between the neighboring countries finally.

“Being a responsible member of the United Nations, we should only use methods recognized by the UN for settling disputes between sovereign nations,” said Pimentel, who also raised the possibility of questioning the issue before the International Courts of Justice for final settlement. Camille P. Balagtas and PS Jun M Sarmiento