Philippines’s claim on Sabah a diversion tactic, says Kitingan

Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku president Jeffrey Kitingan dismissed Philippine senator Robin Padilla's call for the republic to revive its claim on Sabah, describing it as a desperate attempt to divert attention from the country's internal problems. Kitingan stated that such calls are often a political tactic, surfacing ahead of elections in the Philippines.

Padilla suggested that Sabah's oil and gas resources could help solve the Philippines' energy crisis, but Kitingan dismissed Padilla's remarks as "utterly nonsensical, baseless, and devoid of any legal or historical merit." He emphasized that Sabah is not and will never be a solution to the Philippines' problems. Kitingan also accused Padilla of attempting to score political points with irresponsible and dangerous statements.

The former deputy Sabah chief minister warned that such remarks would only threaten regional peace and stability, urging the Philippine government to distance itself from these reckless remarks and respect Malaysia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Padilla had previously made similar calls, which were criticized by Sabah PKR information chief Ahmad Farid Sainuri as shallow and not grounded in reality.

Last month, former Filipino foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah rejected a claim that Sabah belongs to the Philippines, calling it "baseless, flawed, and completely dead in the water."