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KOTA KINABALU – A new claim from the Philippines that there are some 750,000 stateless Filipinos currently in Sabah has riled up local Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders, who have demanded that the Philippines take them back.
The chiefs of the state PH coalition described the claim by Filipino senator Francis Tolentino as an acknowledgement of the irregular Filipinos’ existence in Sabah.
They noted Tolentino’s assertion that the Filipinos are living without health and social security benefits while being stateless in Sabah.
“We believe the numbers are higher but nevertheless a figure of 750,000 is still very significant and must be taken seriously by the Malaysian government,” the leaders said in a joint statement.
“If indeed such a huge presence is shown to be officially true, what are the actions of our federal government to address this matter?
“Since senator Tolentino acknowledged that these are Filipinos and are stateless in Sabah, they are therefore illegal immigrants and should be repatriated and the Philippine government must be prepared and willing to accept them back.”
The statement was signed by Sabah PH chairman Datuk Christina Liew, Upko president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau, state DAP chairman Datuk Frankie Poon, state PKR chairman Datuk Sangkar Rasam, and state Amanah chairman Lahirul Latigu.
Tolentino was reported to have made his comments in urging the Philippines’ Foreign Affairs Department to seize the opportunity to reinstate the country’s claim over Sabah in view of the arbitration award granted to the heir of the Sulu Sultanate.
The PH leaders said Tolentino’s statement is not only dangerous but also one that openly challenges Malaysia's sovereignty.
They said it should be regarded as a threat to the security of Sabah and its people.
“It would not be exaggerating to say that this statement could incite hatred and growing resentment towards the Malaysian government and the state of Sabah due to alleged ill treatment they face here, especially being denied access to health and social security benefits, despite believing that the Philippines ‘owned’ Sabah,” they said.
The Philippines’ continuing claim on Sabah is a reflection of the Malaysian federal government’s prolonged failure to truly understand and decide on definitive solutions to the long-standing issue of Filipino immigrants in the region, the PH leaders added.
It was reported in the past that the Philippines was not willing to take back these stateless Filipinos due to their lack of documentation.
New Upko leader wants Sabahans united against claim
Meanwhile, the incoming Upko president, Datuk Ewon Benedick, has called on Sabahans to unite against Tolentino’s call for the Philippines to stake its claim on Sabah.
“A Philippine senator has again made a strong statement urging his government to further claim Sabah and even justified his assertion with the presence of 750,000 undocumented Filipinos in Sabah.
“This to me will not only create a crack in the diplomatic relationship but a possible war.
“I therefore urge all Sabahans to be united against this senator and against their intentions. Sabah is ours and we must protect this land fearlessly,” said Ewon in a separate statement today.
Tolentino made the comments during an interview with the ABS-CBN news channel. He had asked his country’s Foreign Affairs Department to seize the opportunity to stake the Philippines’ claim on Sabah following an arbitration award to the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate.
Ewon, who is also state assemblyman for Kadamaian, demanded that the Malaysian government strongly respond and take bold action against the undocumented Filipinos in Sabah.
“Their presence of probably more than 750,000 certainly poses a security risk threat to Sabahans,” he said.
“It happened before and it could happen again. The time has come for the federal government to undertake political will to resolve this issue once and for all.
“This is a long-standing issue because the federal government failed to find a real solution. How much longer do we have to wait for a real solution? Is the federal government surrendering Sabah?” asked Ewon.
He also urged the Sabah government to take the lead in pressuring Putrajaya to resolve the problem of undocumented Filipinos and migrants.
He said it is unacceptable for the state government to refuse a motion to debate the issue in the state assembly and yet take no real action to address the problem.
“Even in Kota Kinabalu, stateless children are disturbing traffic commuters asking for money. This makes Sabahans really uncomfortable,” he said. – The Vibes, September 30, 2022