4 Nisperos, op. cit., Chapter 6, p.5. 5 Ibid., p p .22-39.
between the Liberals and the Nacionalistas, and with Macapagal's attack on the 'sugar bloc.' It was not until Cornelio Villareal, a Liberal, was elected to the House Speakership that the Sabah issue was raised in the House. Two resolutions were presented to the House dealing with the Sabah issue - House Resolution N o . 32, sponsored by 106 members of the House, and House Concurrent Resolution No.11,
2
sponsored by Congressman Ocampo. In its meeting on 10 April, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs considered the two resolutions, and a subcommittee composed of
Congressman Salonga (Liberal), Bagatsing (Liberal) and Ocampo (Liberal) decided to seek the necessary authority which would allow the Philippine government to represent
the heirs of the Sultan. On 24 April, Congressmen Salonga and Ramos witnessed the signing of a formal instrument
by which the heirs 'accepted' the 'right' of the Philippine 3
government to prosecute their claim. On the same day, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted House Resolution N o . 32 which stated:
Whereas, it is the sense of the House of
Representatives that the claim of the Republic of the Philippines upon a certain portion of the Island of Borneo and adjacent islands is legal and valid: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, To urge, as it hereby does urge, the President of
1 In the 1961 elections, the Liberals won six of the eight Senate seats at stake. Senator Sumulong was the only Nacionalista Senator to be re-elected. The Nacionalistas, however, won two-thirds of the seats in the House of
Representatives. After months of wrangling, Macapagal was successful in having Villareal elected as Speaker. 2 Nisperos, op.cit., Chapter 7, p.17.
the Philippines to take the necessary steps consistent with international law and procedure for the recovery of a certain portion of the Island of Borneo and adjacent islands which appertain to the Philippines.^
A similar measure was introduced in the Senate# but was
left pending until the adjournment of Congress. The relative lack of interest in the claim in the Senate was apparently due to the Upper House's preoccupation with the election of its President# and to the influence of Senator Sumulong# Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee# who was opposed
2 to a Philippine government claim to North Borneo.
Despite the clamourings of the press and the
resolution passed in the House of Representatives, President Macapagal seemed unwilling to take a public stand on the issue# although his longstanding interest in the case was well-known. This apparent lack of interest may have been due to the President's preoccupation with domestic issues during his first months of office. It was Vice-President and Foreign Affairs Secretary Pelaez who gave the first indication of the administration's interest in the matter. After the Governor of North Borneo# Sir William Goode# had
3
dismissed the possibility of a Philippine claim# Pelaez indicated in mid-January that his government had not yet decided what to do about the North Borneo question# since there had not been sufficient time to study the matter. He stated# however# that if the government decided not to take action 'it will not be because its claim to North
4
Borneo is without foundation'. Early in February, the
1 Philippine Claim to North Borneo# Vol.I# p.151. 2 See Nisperos# op.cit.# Chapter 7# pp.34-9.
3 Manila Times# 5 January 1962.
Colonial Office issued a statement that the British
government was 'quite satisfied' as to its legal position in the territory.''- Pelaez was clearly irritated by what was regarded in Manila as the condescending attitude of
the British government. Asserting that the Philippine government had the right to ascertain its own stand on a possible claim to British North Borneo, Pelaez retorted:
2 'They cannot brush it off just like that'.
Pelaez's statements to the press, however, carried a note of restraint. In answer to a question on television regarding his attitude to the formation of Malaysia, he assured viewers that the government was
considering the North Borneo issue 'very seriously' and that 'in weighing this problem, the Philippines will consider national interests as well as the international aspects
3
involved'. At the end of March, Pelaez departed for a
meeting of ASA in Malaya. His absence from Manila apparently removed an element of caution from the Department of Foreign Affairs. The new Undersecretary, Salvador P. Lopez, arrived
in Manila after vacating his ambassadorial post in Paris and asserted that the Philippine claim to North Borneo would stand up in any world court. Emphasizing that he was
speaking in his capacity as Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Lopez stated that the Philippines should commence
negotiations with Britain before North Borneo was incorporated 4
into Malaysia. He was supported in this view by Simeon
5 Roxas, legal counsellor of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
1 Manila Times, 4 February 1962 2 Ibid.
3 Manila Bulletin, 22 March 1962. 4 Manila Times, 2 April 1962. 5 Ibid.
At a press conference on 4 April, Lopez indicated that the Department of Foreign Affairs would shortly announce its position on the North Borneo question. There were hints of a disagreement between Lopez and Pelaez when press
reports from Kuala Lumpur quoted the Vice-President as saying that his government had taken no stand on the North Borneo question.“'' In informal discussions with the Tunku, Pelaez had given assurances that a Philippine claim to North Borneo would not endanger Philippine-Malayan
2
relations. Lopez admitted that he had exchanged a number of cablegrams with Pelaez, but insisted that there was no disagreement between himself and the Vice-President. It is unlikely that President Macapagal would have permitted Lopez to make such an important statement on the North Borneo issue without presidential sanction. He did not publicly reprimand the Acting Secretary, merely contenting himself with the remark that Lopez's assertion that there were sufficient legal grounds for a claim to North Borneo
3
was Lopez's 'personal opinion'. That Lopez was allowed to make such an assertion in the absence of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs suggests that Pelaez was reluctant to take precipitate action. The personal rivalries endemic in
Philippine politics may have played some role in the apparent difference of opinion between Pelaez and Lopez, since Pelaez was reported to have preferred Jose Ingles, Philippine
Ambassador to West Germany, as his Undersecretary but had
1 Manila Bulletin, 4 April 1962 . 2 Manila Times, 6 April 1962 . 3 Manila Times, 3 April 1962 .
been overruled by the President.
By the end of April it was evident that the
Philippine government was about to make some kind of claim to North Borneo, but two important points had not been clarified. The first was whether the government would
claim Philippine sovereignty over the territory; or whether it would ask that the proprietary rights of the heirs of
2
the Sultan be recognized by the British government. The distinction between the sovereignty of the Philippine Republic and the proprietary rights of the heirs of the
1 It is also possible that Macapagal suspected that Pelaez