Twelve Martyrs of Sulu and the Philippine Government loss of credibility

Fourteen dead after a firefight broke out between the Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu and Malaysian security forces. The question now that many people are asking--what is the government doing about it? Twelve Filipinos died in that firefight and based on the principle of parens patria, government is supposed to attend to this quite seriously.

But, how do you expect this government to act the right way when it does not even have the capability of gathering accurate ground information? Yesterday, the very spokesperson of the President committed a grave error when he started blurting out disinformation. Secretary Ricky Carandang, who was earlier reported to have resigned his post only to deny it, said that the "firefight" never occurred and that the Malaysian forces only fired a "warning shot". Local Government secretary Mar Roxas further complicated this when he publicly blamed the Kirams for the incident, accusing the Sultan of Sulu of being "hard headed".

Worse, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the very same agency tasked to investigate or conduct an investigation, literally parroted what their Malaysian counterparts declared, without even appending the term " alleged" or "reported" to the information being given to them. The DFA further helped the Malaysians in spreading disinformation through a formal presscon which Assistant Secretary Hernandez called. The DFA is supposed to give information on what it itself gathered, and not depend on the note verbale or the report of the Malaysian envoy.

It goes without saying that the Philippine government acted like the Malaysian official newspaper and if you look at this very closely, even served as the disinformation agency of the Malaysians.

The Philippine government lost all shred of credibility yesterday, in the eyes of the Kirams, the Tausugs and the Islamic Community. The very act of the State yesterday clearly shows how it treats the Sabah issue---this government has literally abandoned this claim.

How then, will the Kirams trust this government when it acts contrary to what is expected of it? The Malaysian envoy is correct---the standoff ended yesterday because the very act of the Philippine government has clearly isolated the Sultanate of Sulu from the rest of the archipelago.

Since the Philippine Government has clearly shown its partiality with the Malaysians, it has now negated whatever moral influence it exerts to the Peoples of the Sultanate of Sulu. The Sultan may well not involve the Philippine government anymore in its claim, and pursue its claim to the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), of which Malaysia is a member.

For that to happen, the Sultanate of Sulu must wrest itself free from the clutches of Imperial Manila and declare its independence. The Sultan's next move therefore, is not to annex Sabah at this point--it must complete its political struggle against the Philippine Government first and foremost. I will not be surprised if the peoples of Jolo, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi will again declare a war of independence.

Let me then dedicate this space to the twelve brave Islamic Martyrs who sacrificed their lives for their country. These pious ones must be named, and proclaimed throughout the country. Their extraordinary courage and bravery are shining examples of how pure and proud this race truly is. How glorious their deaths are! It is very rare for someone to die due to his principles.

Sabah standoff is more than what it appears

Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte is correct---for Malacanan they should study the matter before they act, an indication of the complexity of the problem which is the Sabah standoff.

Two things---what is the nationality of those individuals who went to Sabah? Are they Filipinos?

Based on their own statements, these individuals belong to the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, a Hashemite Kingdom recognized by the Islamic world. If these individuals claim membership of the Sultanate, then, it follows that they are subjects of the Kingdom rather than of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.

If the Government of the Republic of the Philippines intervenes and negotiates for their safe passage out of the security cordon laid by the Malaysian government, it will be interpreted as a tacit admission by the GRP that is abandoning its claims over Sabah.

BY recognizing the nationality of these individuals would mean the rejection of the claims of the Kirams over Sabah. The best thing to do in this situation, if I may give my two-cents worth in this is, do nothing. It will be in the best interest of the Philippine government not to intervene in this and allow representatives of both camps, the Sultanate and the Malaysian government, to resolve this standoff by themselves.

However, the complexity lies on the status of this kingdom---is the Hashemite Kingdom that is the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, a legitimate state in the eyes of the international community?

It claims to have territory, a government, an armed force, a constituency and diplomatic recognition--elements that makes a state. Under international law, this should very well be recognized as a state.

Hence, the very act by these individuals in proclaiming the existence of the Sulltanate of Sulu and North Borneo is an act of rebellion against the GRP which claims political sovereignty over the very lands by which the Sultanate claims as its own.

The solution is therefore drastic---for both contending camps to claim sovereign rights, they may have to fight it out---the Sultanate fighting the colonial Philippine state, unless, of course, the GRP enters into an agreement with the Sultanate recognizing it as a sub-state under the protection of the GRP. And you know what this means if the GRP does this--it will strengthen the claims of the Sultanate over Sabah, which directly will affect RP-Malaysian relations.

Of courses, there is still a diplomatic solution to that---for the Sultanate of Sulu to continue giving lease to Sabah to Malaysia, this time, over a just compensation scheme.

The standoff places both states--the Philippine government and the Malaysian government--in a tight bind.

Sabah standoff places Malacanang into a itchy bind

There is an ongoing standoff between Malaysian forces and about 100 heavily armed men believed to be militants which came from Tawi-Tawi and Jolo. These militants, who described themselves as members of the Royal Army of the Sultan of Sulu refuses to leave the area. Malaysian officials told these militants to peacefully leave the area to avoid bloodshed. However, the standoff continues, as the gunmen refuse to move out of the vicinity, claming that they have the right to stay there.

INstead of campaigning for his Senatoriables, President Aquino should attend to this matter very carefully because this can make or break the economic momentum of the country. An external problem such as this, and highly explosive at that, should be solved immediately by the President either through back channelling efforts and thru diplomatic means.

Actually, the President cannot do it diplomatically because this is a criminal act according to Malaysian laws. If the President intervenes, and uses the power of the State to negotiate, what would be his bases for doing so? The intrusion of this group into Malaysia does not involve the participation of the State. It was an extra-legal move coming from individuals who claims to have the authority to do such a thing. The group is claiming legitimacy. Malaysia refuses to recognize the validity of the claims of the heirs of the Sultanate of Sabah. While the present heir seems to have gotten legitimacy from numerous groups from Mindanao and beyond.

If someone would ask me if this is the appropriate time to re-claim Sabah, my answer is a definitive no. We should be able to substantiate our claims in the area. Likewise, claiming this side of Malaysia would entail more than physical intrusion. It would mean convincing the population of Sabah to side with us. Those who want Sabah should consider the sentiments of those living in the island of Borneo.