{
  "id": 3705179,
  "title": "Jeffrey slams Phillipine senator’s call for Manila to ‘revive’ claim over Sabah, O&G resources",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/jeffrey-slams-phillipine-senators-call-for-manila-to-revive-claim",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-27T08:16:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Borneo Post Online",
    "slug": "borneo-post-online",
    "url": "https://www.theborneopost.com/2026/08/27/jeffrey-slams-phillipine-senators-call-for-manila-to-revive-claim-over-sabah-og-resources/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, president of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), has vehemently criticized Philippine Senator Robin Padilla for calling for the revival of Malaysia's claim over Sabah. Padilla urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to pursue this move, citing Sabah's oil and gas resources as a solution to the country's energy crisis. However, Kitingan, who is also a member of the Keningau MP, firmly stated that Padilla's remarks are \"utterly nonsensical, baseless, and devoid of any legal or historical merit.\"\n\nKitingan highlighted that Padilla's claims are a desperate attempt to divert attention from the Philippines' internal issues through irresponsible political grandstanding. He emphasized that such statements are made by individuals and do not represent the official stance of the Philippine government. Moreover, Kitingan explained that the foundation of the Philippines' claim rests on a fundamental misinterpretation of the 1878 Agreement.\n\nThe 1878 Agreement, he explained, was a perpetual lease that transferred full governing rights to Gustavus Baron de Overbeck and Alfred Dent. This lease was definitively resolved in 1903 when Sultan Jamalul Kiram II signed the 'Confirmation by Sultan of Sulu of Cession of Certain Islands,' which clearly stated that the islands were included in the cession of the districts and islands mentioned in the 1878 Agreement.\n\nKitingan pointed out that Sabah gained independence from British Colonial rule on August 31, 1963, and became a nation-state with its own flag, national anthem, and constitution. On September 16, 1963, Sabah, along with Malaya, Sarawak, and Singapore, formed the Federation of Malaysia. He stressed that Sabah did not \"join\" an existing country but formed Malaysia as an equal founding member. Sabah's sovereignty predates Malaysia's existence, he added.\n\nKitingan pointed out that multiple attempts to challenge Sabah's sovereignty have been rejected by international legal systems, including arbitration proceedings in Spain and challenges against decisions of the Paris Court of Appeal. He called Padilla's statements historically and legally bankrupt, irresponsible, and dangerous, threatening the peace and stability of the region for cheap political gain. He urged the Philippine government to reject these reckless remarks and respect Malaysia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, emphasizing that Sabah is not and will never be a solution to the Philippines' problems.",
  "summary": "KOTA KINABALU (Aug 27): Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has slammed Philippine Senator Robin Padilla’s call for the country to “revive” its claim over Sabah. Padilla had called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to make the move because Sabah’s oil and gas resources could be a solution to [...] The post Jeffrey slams Phillipine senator’s call…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}