KUALA LUMPUR: A recent call by a Filipino senator for the Philippines to stake its claim on Sabah was merely a political narrative employed by many politicians in the country.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar gave his assurance that should the Philippine government ever plan on making an official claim on Sabah, Malaysia would not take things lightly.
Wan Junaidi said all remarks made by Filipino politicians on Sabah were merely sentiments they needed to use for political mileage, and they were never official claims.
"We are always monitoring the reactions of politicians who are taking advantage of this issue in the Philippines. Actually, they have been making this claim for a long time.
"Once, during (former Philippines President Fidel) Ramos's time, there was a plan to drop (the sentiment), but they decided to maintain it as a political issue as they didn't have enough issues to play.
"So far, Wisma Putra has received information on the comments made by Filipino senators and politicians. If the Philippine government ever makes a reaction on this, Wisma Putra will take the necessary actions.
"But right now, it is just a sentiment voiced by politicians," he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
It was reported that during a senate committee hearing on Sept 28, Filipino senator Francis Tolentino told his country's foreign secretary, Enrique Manalo, that the Philippines should "seize the opportunity" to pursue its claim on Sabah.
Tolentino was quoted as saying that his country should stake its claim on Sabah following the RM62.59 billion arbitration award handed down in favour of the Sultan of Sulu's descendants in March this year.
Tolentino also claimed that there were 750,000 Filipinos living in Sabah who are stateless, without social security and health benefits.