The issue on Sabah was mentioned in President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s meetings with Malaysian leaders but it did not go farther than that, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. bared.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Ali Vicoy)
While mentioning the Philippines' outstanding claim to Sabah was inevitable during his official meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Marcos believed it was not something that both countries can take up and decide upon in just a short period of time.
He said both sides have reached a consensus to only talk about everything that is "solvable."
"Nababanggit. Lagi namang nababanggit 'yan e. Hindi mo maiwasan meron naman talaga tayong outstanding claim na hindi natin binabawi (It was mentioned. It is actually always being mentioned. You cannot avoid it, we really have an outstanding claim that we have not withdrawn)," Marcos told the Philippine media delegation in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, July 27.
"I mean it's clear to all the parties involved na hindi naman madedecide-an ngayon kung mag-uusap (that we cannot decide on it if we talk about it), we have to do something much much larger and much more involved than just a quick discussion of 5 to 10 minute discussion with the leader," Marcos added.
The President stressed that there is a "tacit agreement" between the two governments that they can work with each other "without coming into conflict over just one single issue."
"So, the consensus is that we just talk about everything else. We talk about trade, the help that Malaysia has been providing for the development of the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao), we talk about the, again, people-to-people side of our relationship," he explained.
He pointed out that when it comes to diplomatic issues, "it is up to us to define what our relationship is."
"[A]nd I think we have agreed that there is a tacit agreement at the very least that we talk about all of the things that are solvable, all of the issues that we can actually do, so when the time comes, perhaps we will come to the issue. I'm sure it will come up again," Marcos said.
One of the so-called 13 states Malaysia claims is Sabah which belongs to the Philippines. The Philippines as a successor-in-sovereignty of the Sultanate of Sulu has legal ownership and sovereignty over Northern Borneo or Sabah, which was only leased to the British North Borneo Company in 1878.
Pursuant to the Manila Accord signed between the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia in 1963 and deposited with the United Nations (UN) Secretary General in 1965, the inclusion of North Borneo in the Federation of Malaysia has always been subject to the final outcome of the Philippine claim on North Borneo, and does not preclude the Philippines' right to pursue its claim in accordance with International Law.