Filipinos in Sabah left hanging as PNoy dithers under the weight of conflicts of interest

March 14, 2013

by benign0

Thus endeth Malaysia’s foray into Philippine internal affairs concerning Mindanao. “The Malaysian government has Filipino blood in their hands now. We can no longer rely on them to be an independent and objective third party as we pursue peace in Mindanao,” Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez reportedly said. This was after Malacañang affirmed Malaysia’s continued role in the Mindanao “peace process”.

Malaysia’s friendly AirAsia flight attendants

Filipinos are no longer impressed…

With the Sabah dispute still far from over, members of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) urged President Benigno S. Aquino III to look into the plight of Filipinos reportedly mistreated by Malaysian forces.

Former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said the President should make a statement condemning the Malaysian treatment of Filipinos who are reportedly being treated inhumanely by Malaysian authorities.

“They treat us like dirt, trash…our fellowmen are being treated like dogs there. I really hope that the President do something about it. He should make a strong statement,” Zubiri said.

San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito-Estrada echoed Zubiri’s observation, saying they are in no way condoning the wrong move of the Sultanate of Sulu but said it is the government’s responsibility to defuse the tension brought by Sultan Jamalul Kiram III’s claim that the Sabah belongs to the Philippines.

“Let me be clear, we are not condoning what Kiram did, but the government should bear in mind to work for the interest of the Filipinos. The government has the responsibility to protect the welfare of all Filipinos,” Ejercito Estrada said.

The Philippine government continues to bungle the handling of the issue as it stumbles from one gaffe after another. After recently concluding discussions with Datu Bantilan Esmail Kiram, brother of Jamalul Kiram III, claimant to the throne of the Sultanate of Sulu, Philippine Interior Secretary Mar Roxas had reportedly conveyed to the Malaysian government news that the Kiram clan had agreed to a “disengagement” of their forces from Sabah. This was later rejected. Whatever so-called agreements made by his brother were effectively “disowned” by Kiram III…

“Since the beginning, I already said my door was open to negotiations. I have said that many times,” Jamalul said.

“They have to talk to me. If they can go to Japan, why can’t Malacañang go to me?” he said, referring to the meeting that President Aquino had with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Murad Ebrahim in 2011 for an end to the Moro insurgency in Mindanao.

“Maybe it’s because they perceive me as stubborn even if I did nothing wrong. I’m just here in my house,” he said.

Refugees from the fighting in Sabah are piling into Sulu and reportedly now subsisting on government relief goods. The government of President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III seems to be buckling under the weight of some mysterious political and diplomatic force being exerted on it by Kuala Lumpur, allegedly “cooling” to the idea of pressing further investigation of alleged abuses perpetrated by Malaysian security forces against Filipinos residing in the area.

The Second Aquino Administration of the Philippines seems to be saddled by the very same pedigreed legacy that catapulted it into power. The mysterious force that seems to hold President BS Aquino back from being a bit more assertive and statesman-like in the way he deals with the Malaysian government may, in fact, be coming from within…

A former career minister and consul general of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Hermes J. Dorado, linked President Aquino’s “reluctance” or “inutility in taking up the Sabah claim to an alleged deal Ninoy Aquino may have forged with then Malaysian leader Muhammad Mahathir in exchange for supporting Ninoy’s opposition to Marcos.

Ninoy’s alleged utang-na-loob (debt of gratitude) to Mahathir was sealed in this alleged shadowy deal in 1983 then was seemingly paid its first instalment in the drafting on the 1987 Constitution following the Edsa People Power “revolution”….

Dorado said that the Sabah claim had been enshrined in the 1973 Constitution, but was totally deleted in the 1987 constitution, under the Cory Aquino administration. He charged that “it’s because of the 1983 commitment. Cory and Mahathir made sure those 14 words were deleted.”

Not helping even more are reports of how Houses Aquino and Cojuangco are enmeshed in alleged shady business dealings with major Malaysian companies, notable of which is talk about top PNoy campaign financier and presidential cousin Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco Jr allegedly being part owner of Malaysian carrier AirAsia Bhd…

Going around in the Internet is a color picture of Malaysian troops boarding an Air Asia jet that would fly them to Sabah where they are to hunt down Filipinos who had settled home there.

One blog points out that AirAsia Philippines, the local affiliate of Malaysia-based AirAsia Bhd, is partly owned by Filipino businessmen led by the President’s cousin Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco Jr.

Cojuangco was the biggest campaign donor of Aquino in 2010, based on the President’s declaration to the Commission on Elections. He put in P100 million out of Mr. Aquino’s P440-million declared war chest.

In November 2010, the Board of Investments approved the organizing of AirAsia Philippines as a joint venture between Malaysian investors and Filipino businessmen led by Cojuangco.

The business combine recently acquired at least 40 percent stake in local rival Zest Airways Inc. Malaysia-based AirAsia Bhd, btw, is the largest budget air carrier in Southeast Asia.

The plot thickens like milk left under the sun going bad.

The shine of Cory’s and Ninoy’s yellow glow that dazzled the starstruck eyes of all who supported, waxed poetic for, and bankrolled son Noynoy’s rise to the presidency has turned into a harsh glare. The silence in recent months coming from the Yellow mob (likely stunned by the astounding abomination their dream Presidency has become) has become deafening.