Locsin eyes reopening of Office of the North Borneo Affairs

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. indicated today his willingness to resurrect a long-dormant Office of the North Borneo Affairs at the DFA days after Malaysia issued a note verbale rejecting the Philippines’ territorial claim over Sabah.

“I remember an old bureau within the DFA exclusively devoted to the issue. Wonder if it’s still up. Will resurrect or revitalize it,” Locsin said in a tweet.

DFA sources said the late Ambassador Ofelia Castaño, considered as an expert on the Sabah issue, used to head the North Borneo Office on the second floor of the former DFA office on Padre Faura St. in Ermita, Manila.

Castaño, according to DFA sources, briefed President Ferdinand Marcos in Malacanang on the status of the Philippine claim on Sabah. While in active service, she authored at least two books related to the Sabah claim and has reportedly developed close ties with the heirs to the Sultanate of Sulu.

Early this month, a representative from the heirs to the Sulu Sultanate has asked the Philippines government to revive the DFA’s North Borneo Office which has long-been inoperative.

According to reports, Sulu Sultanate Prime Minister Amroussi Rasul lauded Locsin’s effort in censuring both the United States and Malaysia for their mistaken views on the real status and ownership of the island situated further south of the Philippines.

Speaking on behalf of Sultan Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram, Rasul said the call to revive the North Borneo Office would re-start the efforts to reclaim Sabah which has been under Malaysia’s control since 1963.

Also today, Locsin reiterated his assertions that there were “repeated offers” in the past to abandon and betray the country’s claim over Sabah.

“The Filipino public must know that what is on offer is huge so the temptation to betray is commensurately humongous. Leaving it to diplomats is not enough to safeguard the national interest in the matter.

There’s the additional temptation to feel welcome in the host country,” he said in a separate social media post.