Philippines, Malaysia to boost cooperation vs kidnapping, terrorism

PUTRAJAYA – President  Duterte and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak agreed yesterday to strengthen cooperation on various areas, including security at sea amid kidnapping incidents perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said the Sabah issue was put on the backburner as the two countries vowed to engage more vigorously on the economic, trade, investment and other aspects of mutual cooperation.

Yasay said both countries agreed to revitalize the East Asia Growth Area (EAGA) and establish stricter security cooperation on sea borders.

“The prime minister was just as concerned as we are. There is much to be done in terms of cooperation,” Yasay said, referring to the possibility of conducting pursuit operations by either nation’s military or police forces.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronaldo dela Rosa, who was present during the bilateral talks on security, said the rules would have to be discussed and agreed upon in succeeding meetings between Philippine and Malaysian military and police forces.

What was more important, Yasay said in a separate interview, was that the sea borders were controlled and secured from piracy and hostage-taking activities.

He added this security arrangement was the same one that was agreed upon in an earlier meeting of Duterte with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

Recent victims of the Abu Sayyaf include 69-year-old German Jurgen Gustav Kantner and partner Sabina Wetch, who were taken off the coast of Sabah in Malaysia.

Wetch was killed, her body found on their yacht drifting off Laparan Island in Sulu.

Malaysians and Indonesians, among others, had also fallen victim to the kidnapping activities of the Abu Sayyaf.

Not the right time

On the Sabah issue, Yasay said Najib told Duterte it was not time to talk about the issue. He said Duterte was not the one who brought up the issue.

Najib stressed the two countries’ conflicting claims over Sabah should not stop them from pursuing other areas of cooperation, Yasay noted.

“It may not be resolved within the shortest possible time (as) it may take many years before we could find a workable and acceptable solution. But we agreed that this will not stop us from pursuing the other aspects of our relationship, which is really more important at this time,” Yasay told reporters in an interview at the Marriott Hotel after the meeting.

On the possibility of setting up a consulate in Sabah, the secretary stressed that it would not presently be a sound move considering that both countries have a claim over the same area.

“Putting up a consulate there can be a very sensitive issue... there are a lot of contentious issues. It is more complicated than the South China Sea issue,” Yasay said. 

“The President had suggested the idea of putting up, through international organizations (like) WHO (World Health Organization) or Unesco (United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture), a facility to educate the Filipinos who are there,” he added.

Rody sings “Ikaw”

Chants of “Du-terte, Du-terte” greeted the President when he entered the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday night.

Duterte bowed five times to acknowledge the warm welcome given him by 2,000 officers and members of Filipino communities from all over this country.

Before his speech, the President joined Filipino-Malaysian singer Yasmin Aziz in singing “Ikaw,” one of Duterte’s favorite songs.

Normally, the Presidential Security Group prohibits cellphone video recordings of the President’s official functions. The rules were relaxed, however, as almost all of the attendees started to record the President singing.

Outside the hotel, around 500 more Filipinos lined up to see Duterte but were denied entry as the hall, according to the organizers, could no longer accommodate them.

“It’s different ever since I became president because people could no longer get near me. I wanted to hug all of you,” Duterte said in Filipino.

His two-day introductory visit was an early Christmas gift for the Filipinos, Philippine Ambassador Jose Eduardo Malaya III said, pointing out that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), some of whom had been staying here for more than 30 years, shared the President’s vision of an independent Philippines and the change that he was offering.

Duterte, during his speech, told the crowd that he was already wrapped in a number of controversies even when he is just four months into his six-year term, but vowed to continue reforms.

“Our country is like an airplane on the runway for many years already, with all the promises given by the…,” Duterte said, stopping himself from uttering an expletive.