Sen. Robinhood Padilla made a renewed push for the Philippines to assert its rights over Sabah like what it's doing in the West Philippine Sea.
Padilla, in his interpellation of the bill on the proposed Philippine Maritime Zones Act on Tuesday night, Jan. 30, said that Sabah has many natural resources that can be used by Filipinos, especially those in Muslim Mindanao.
"Ganoon din nating ipaglaban ang ating karapatan sa Sabah. Hindi ito usapin lang ng maliit na isla. Ito, malaking lupa ito. Ito ay may langis, may minerals (at) talagang dapat nakikinabang ang Pilipino sa Sabah ngayon pa lang. Paano natin ginigiit sa isla sa West Philippine Sea, dapat ay igiit natin ang karapatan natin sa Sabah pero di tayo humihingi ng gulo (We must fight for our rights in Sabah. We are talking not of small islands but of a large land mass with oil and minerals that we Filipinos have rights to. If we can assert our rights in the West Philippine Sea, so must we do the same but in a peaceful manner)," he said.
He noted the Philippines already has a law - Republic Act 5446, signed in August 1968 - that regards Sabah as a territory over which the Philippines has acquired "dominion and sovereignty."
In his first privilege speech in 2022, Padilla pushed for the Philippines to assert its rights over Sabah.
Because of this, Padilla said he intends to propose an amendment on the definition of baselines under the Maritime Zones bill, to include the Philippines' position on Sabah which was provided for under RA 5446.
Sen. Francis Tolentino, who sponsored the bill for the proposed Philippine Maritime Zones Act, agreed to include a line that the Philippines is not abandoning its claim to Sabah, so long as it is phrased properly.
"Kung magagawa ng tamang lengwahe ang pag amyenda di ako tututol … as long as it will strengthen not just the bill but our resolve that what is rightfully ours should be ours (If we can phrase it properly, I will not object to the amendment, so long as it will strengthen not just the bill but our resolve that what is rightfully ours should be ours)," he said.