Senator Robinhood Padilla sought to rectify a claim made by Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jay Ruiz that the Philippines lost Sabah, as he argued that the country never did so in the first place. 

Padilla said this in reaction to Ruiz' statement regarding Sabah in the House tri-committee (tri-comm) hearing that tackled online fake news and disinformation.

Ruiz stated in the hearing that after Malaysia "pitted" Filipinos against fellow Filipinos, the Philippines lost Sabah. 

The statement "We lost Sabah", according to the senator, is a "heavy" one, especially for our brothers and sisters in Sulu.
 

"Taliwas sa sinabi ng kalihim, hindi nawala sa atin ang Sabah dahil buhay na buhay pa po ang ating pag-angkin o claim sa Sabah sa pamamagitan ng Seksyon 2 ng Republic Act 5446. Malinaw na nakasaad dito na ang North Borneo — na ngayon ay Sabah — ay kinikilalang teritoryo ng Pilipinas (Contrary to what the secretary stated, we have not lost Sabah because our claim to it is still very much alive through Section 2 of Republic Act 5446. It is clearly stated here that North Borneo — now known as Sabah — is recognized as a territory of the Philippines)," Padilla said in a statement on Saturday, March 22.

"Makailang ulit na rin po akong tumayo noon pa man bilang isang pribadong mamamayan upang ipaglaban ang ‘claim’ na ito. Ang bulwagan ng Senado ay naging saksi na rin po sa aking paulit-ulit na pagbibigay-diin sa ating karapatan sa Sabah sa pamamagitan ng talumpating pribilehiyo (I have stood up multiple times as a private citizen to advocate for this claim. The Senate hall has also witnessed my repeated emphasis on our rights to Sabah through privilege speeches)," he added.

He also told Ruiz that he can refer back to the statement made by President Marcos Jr. in 2013 when he was a lawmaker: “We have a historical claim over Sabah, and that’s a fact.”

Padilla also cited Memorandum Circular No. 162, s. 2008, which was reaffirmed in August 2024 through a memorandum from the office of the Executive Secretary, specifically Sections 1 and 2. These say that:
 

• "No Department, agency, or instrumentality of the Philippine Government shall make any act or statement expressing or implying, directly or indirectly, any recognition of a foreign state's sovereignty over North Borneo (Sabah) or non-recognition of Philippine title or historical and legal rights to the same."
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• "Any official activity, act or statement relating to North Borneo (Sabah) or which may have bearing on the Philippine claim to said territory shall be carried out only with the clearance of or after consultations with the Department of Foreign Affairs."

Padilla stated that it was disheartening for a baseless statement to come from a Malacañang official who promised to fight against the spread of "fake news" and misinformation. Furthermore, this false statement was made during a hearing that aimed to combat misinformation.

"Bilang lingkod-bayan, bilang Muslim, at lalo’t higit bilang isang Pilipino, taimtim kong nananawagan sa patuloy na pagsusulong ng responsableng pagpapahayag at pagbuo ng mga naratibo na may malalim na epekto sa ating mga polisiya at sa ating kinabukasan bilang isang bansa (As a public servant, as a Muslim, and especially as a Filipino, I earnestly call for the continued promotion of responsible expression and the development of narratives that have a profound impact on our policies and our future as a nation)," he added.