Philippine News, Facts and Figures News stories from the Philippines and all other important information about the Philippine islands. Therefore it is not relevant if any foreign parties including the Philippines make demands on Sabah. Why the Philippines is Claiming Sabah. The national, or official, language is Malay which is the mother tongue of the majority Malay ethnic group. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Thursday stood firm on his position that Sabah belongs to the Philippines as he faced the Senate for the agency's 2021 budget. “Before this, I have stressed many times that the Philippines’ claim on Sabah will not be entertained and Sabah belongs to Malaysia forever. Sabah (Malay pronunciation: ) is a state of Malaysia located on the northern portion of Borneo.Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's Kalimantan region to the south. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said they will summon Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Charles Jose to explain Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s statement that Sabah belongs to the Philippines. But the history of Sabah in the Philippine context might not be on our side sovereignty-wise. The Philippines claims ownership of Sabah based on the title of the Sultan of Sulu who ceded proprietary rights over the land to the Philippine government in 1962. A draft framework for the envisioned federal constitution proposes the inclusion in Philippine territory of Sabah, specifically that part which belongs to the Sultanate of Sulu — a thalassocracy founded in 1405. A heated tit-for-tat between the top diplomats of the Philippines and Malaysia amid a long-standing dispute over the territory of Sabah. Sabah, state of East Malaysia, forming the northern part of the great island of Borneo, and bordered by Sarawak (southwest) and Kalimantan, or Indonesian Borneo (south).Sabah has an 800–900-mile- (1,290–1,450-km-) long, heavily indented coastline that is washed by the South China, Sulu, and Celebes seas. PBS secretary-general Jahid Jahim says it was disrespectful for the Philippine ambassador to reassert Manila's claim to Sabah in front of the chief minister during his courtesy visit. The Philippine government’s stand that Sabah belongs to the Philippines prompted the current Sultanate of Sulu to reactivate a shadow government in Sabah (North Borneo) that had been in place long before the disputed territory was questionably annexed to the Federation Malaysia in 1963, Daily Tribune reported. After nearly 60 years of sitting in the backburner, the Philippines’ claim over Sabah is once again alive. Palawan, the only Philippine island cited, is rated by the Condé Nast Traveler Readers as the most beautiful island in the world and is also rated by the National Geographic Traveler magazine as the best island destination in East and Southeast Asia region in 2007, and the equal 27th best island in the world having "incredibly beautiful natural seascapes and landscapes. Sabah belongs to Philippines, says Palace as dormant territorial dispute put on spotlight. The indigenous languages of Malaysia belong to the Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian families. At the same time, I want to categorically state here that Sabah is, and will always be, part of Malaysia. According to the heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu, the sultanate leased Sabah to a British company in 1878. Najib had blamed Shafie for stirring up the Philippines’ claim over Sabah when Shafie, on August 28, urged the federal government to have a government-to-government talk with the country on an Asean platform level to resolve the issue. The Philippines’ claim over Sabah is inherited from the Sultanate of Sulu, which transferred, to the government, all its claims and rights to Sabah so that the government can pursue this on its behalf. Negotiating with the Philippines over its claim on Sabah would only mean that Malaysia admits that the claim has basis, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said. It was known as North Borneo during the British colonial period (until 1963). Malaysian foreign minister summons Philippine ambassador over comments by Manila’s top diplomat. The Federal Territory of Labuan is an island just off the Sabah coast. In two succeeding retweets last Monday, July 27, Locsin asserted that Sabah is part of the Philippines, not Malaysia. 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