Philippine DFA: Don't call Sabah as part of Malaysia

The Philippine government agencies have been reminded to not to refer to Sabah as a part of Malaysia.

The Philippine Star reported that the directive came from the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The department’s spokesperson Raul Hernandez had said that there is an existing circular which has not been amended or changed yet.

Hernandez was referring to the Memorandum Circular 162 dated Aug 20, 2008 issued by the former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s government.

The circular, titled “Guidelines on Matters Pertaining to North Borneo (Sabah)” states 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.”

Section 3 of the circular provides that reference to North Borneo (Sabah) in official documents should not include its being part of a larger national/federal territory, the Philippine Star reported.

On Feb 12, self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III sent his army to East Sabah in a bid to ‘reclaim’ the state resulting in a standoff with the Malaysian security forces.