The Catholic Church should help the Kirams

My love for history allowed me to be amongst the very first columnists to write about the Sabah controversy long before the Sabah issue was resurrected by Sultan Jamalul Kiram a month and a half ago. This case has now opened up old wounds and allowed the Filipino people to reflect upon this claim, whether this is really true or not. I’ve always believed that the Aquino Regime erred when it sided with Malaysia on this issue. This is why the Malaysian government did not hesitate to kill the men of Kiram because they knew that they can get away with murder.

Perhaps the best question for all Filipinos to ask is, why doesn’t Malaysia agree to bring this matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if they know that they have a legal standing on Sabah? Remember that old dictum, “He who comes to court must come with clean hands.” At this point, we can only reckon that the hands of the Malaysians are not clean when we talk about their claim of ownership to Sabah.

They don’t care what you folks would say and that’s because Sabah has oil… lots of oil. If you remember your history, World War I and World War II were fought because of oil. So you can expect Malaysia to keep Sabah under its jurisdiction even if they have to kill anyone claiming it. And that’s exactly what they have done to the men of Kiram.

But whether the Aquino Regime likes it or not, the Kirams have a very legal claim to Sabah and proof of the pudding is in the eating when my good friend, Prince Omar Kiram emailed me copies of issued checks coming from the Embassy of Malaysia in the Philippines. The Standard Chartered Bank check of P42,272.84 was payable to Dayang-Dayang Taj-Mahal Kiram-Tarsum Nuqui and signed by Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines Dato Ser Dr. Ibrahim Saad. This check was dated July 14, 2011. Another signatory was Jefri Harun, Third Secretary Admin-Finance Embassy of Malaysia.

There were actually seven checks issued on that same day to different names, which I suspect are members of the Kiram family. Prince Omar Kiram is the first cousin of His Highness Sultan Fuad Kiram, whom I met a year ago in Manila Intercon arranged by a good friend. What is significant in those checks paid out for renting Sabah is that there is no name issued to the Sultan Jamalul Kiram. Of course, we have long known that there is much infighting amongst the members of the Kiram family.

Actually, I’m writing about this issue because I read that report that Arch. Jose Palma held a historic meeting with Sultan Jamalul Kiram at the head office of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).  So we ask, why are the Kirams asking the support of the Catholic Church on this issue? Well, from what we read, it is to highlight the reality that human rights violations were committed by the Malaysians in Sabah. While I would like to say that the Catholic Church should have nothing to do with the Sabah issue, however, taking a hint from Pope Francis, we must help the poor and defenseless… and he didn’t say that we should only help the poor and defenseless Catholics.

Perhaps Arch. Palma should have left the Sultan a passage from the Bible, specifically on Matt. 5:24,”Before you give your offering to the temple, leave your gift there at the altar. God and be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” What’s the point in trying to seek for peace for the Kiram family when they cannot even be at peace with each other?

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I really can’t understand why Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III vetoed a law that would have lifted the height requirement for those who wish to be members of the fire department, the police or jail guards. Now if we were looking for a basketball team, I would agree that height is might. But this rule is already passé and this President didn’t know that it is so.

Allow me to tell the story of my grandfather, Capt. Valeriano Jamala Segura, who came from Iloilo and moved to Cebu and married my grandma Asuncion Rodis Segura. Yes, I am named after Lolo Valen. Anyway, my Lolo Valen topped the test to become the first Filipino to enter West Point in New York. However, he had a height problem as he was only 4’9”. But the Americans who ran this nation then, put him on a boat to the West Coast and had him on a chining bar for the whole trip. Arriving in San Francisco, he took the train to New York and arrived in West Point.

To his dismay, he was still an inch short of regulation height. So the fellow who made second in the test became the first Filipino to enter West Point. He is Gen. Vicente Lim. But they didn’t send my Lolo Valen home; they sent him to Purdue University where he finished an Engineering course. He came home to join the Philippine Scouts and became the first Engineering District head for the Visayas and Mindanao. He died fighting in the mountains of Bataan. For me and my family, Lolo Valen is a real hero, where height has never been a requirement. I hope PNoy understands this.

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Email: vsbobita@mozcom.com.