Malaysia's Foreign Ministry on Saturday slammed the statement made by the Philippines’ envoy to Kuala Lumpur who said Manila had not dropped its claim over Sabah, arguing that such an assertion over the resource-rich territory had “no basis.”
Malaysian media reports said that on Feb. 21, at a press conference after paying a courtesy call on Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal Shafie, Ambassador Charles Jose said the Philippines was maintaining its claim over Sabah.
But Jose said the Philippine government would not actively pursue its claim at the moment because its focus was on providing assistance to the thousands of undocumented workers in Sabah, the reports said.
“The Foreign Ministry has continued to reiterate Malaysia’s position, namely the claims on Sabah are without basis,” Malaysia said in a statement on Feb. 23.
Sabah, located south of Mindanao, is territorially disputed by the Philippines and Malaysia.
A Philippine claim for sovereignty over Sabah has lain dormant for decades, but Malaysia continues to yearly pay rent to the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu, who claim to be the descendants of the original Filipino sultan who had control over the territory for centuries.
Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry maintained that Sabah had been recognized by the United Nations and the international community as part of Malaysia since the formation of the Malaysian Federation on Sept. 16, 1963.
“As such, Malaysia does not recognize and will not entertain any claims by any party on Sabah,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Every year, hundreds of Filipinos enter Malaysian-controlled Sabah through Mindanao in search of a better life.
Most of the undocumented Filipinos in Sabah hail from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and other far-flung provinces in the south that are among the Philippines’ poorest and who are constantly plagued by war.
