Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Facebook)

Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez says the Philippine government should revive its claim on Sabah if Malaysia insists on its protest over President Marcos' recent signing of two pro-maritime security laws.

As far as Rodriguez is concerned, Malaysia's complaint on the Philippine leader's enactment of the twin measures is devoid of basis.

The lawyer-congressman said the Malaysian complaint was anchored on some reference materials used in crafting the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Law, and which supposedly restated the Philippines' claim to Sabah.

“Malaysia has no basis for its protest because the reference materials are not part of the two laws. The laws are to be taken in their import and the meaning of their provisions. They do not mention our country’s claim to Sabah,” said Rodriguez, a legal luminary in the House of Representatives.

“If Malaysia strongly protests our new maritime zones and archipelagic sea lanes laws, I suggest the Philippine government strongly revive our claim to Sabah, which rightfully belongs to the Philippines by historic right or legal title!,” he added.

Citing a well-known detail of Philippine history--one that was taught in schools--Rodriguez pointed out that Malaysia used to pay annual rent for Sabah to the heirs of the Sulu sultanate.

The Mindanaoan says that the Maritime Zones Act and Archipelagic Sea Lanes law “only pertain to our Exclusive Economic Zone, computed at 200-nautical miles from our baselines, which does not include Sabah'.

“Our new maritime laws strictly pertain to the seas surrounding the Philippine archipelago. They do not deal with land territories like Sabah,” he said.

He added that the enactment of the two pieces of legislation “is fully in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)".

'A strong signal to our neighbors'

Rodriguez praised President Marcos for signing the two laws last Friday.

“Their enactment sends a strong signal to our neighbors and the world of our resolve to defend what is ours under international law and to preserve and exploit resources within our exclusive economic zone for the benefit of all Filipinos,” the veteran lawmaker said.

In signing the two laws, the President said they “emphasize the importance of our maritime and archipelagic identity".

"With these pieces of legislation, we align our domestic laws with international law, specifically the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS, to improve our capacity for governance and reinforce our maritime policies for economic development and for national security,” he said.

"The Philippines reaffirms its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in our waters. By defining and asserting our maritime zones, we project to the international community that we are staunchly committed to nurturing, cultivating, and protecting our maritime domain," Marcos said.