RAIN OF FIRE

A code of Discipline
CESAR G. BONILLA

LAOAG CITY -- Our national interest, national security, and territorial integrity require adherence to archipelagic principle. It is enshrined in the Constitution that the national territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, with all the islands and water embraced therein, and all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its territorial, fluvial, and aerial domains, including its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas.

These also include the waters around, between, and connecting islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions. Historic right refers to the title that is based on the exercise of sovereignty and domain over a territory by a state for a period of time. Such right might derive from historical factors or from the vital interest of the state.

The government should not let the claim over Sabah be abandoned. If this is a legal right that must be pursued in the round table, this apparently, requires diplomatic ingenuity and nationalistic brilliance. Sabah, the old name of North Borneo, was once upon a time a part of the Sovereignty of the Sultanate of Sulu.

The Sultan of Bornei originally ruled this part of Borneo. In 19704, an uprising occurred which the Sultan of Sulu helped suppress. In gratitude, the Sultan of Bornei ceded North Borneo to the Sultan of Sulu. Throughout history, many European merchants came to these parts of Southeast Asia for their valuable mineral, spices, and other sources of revenues.

In 1878, two enterprising merchants, the Englishman Alfred Dent and Gustavus Von Overbeck, a German, entered into a Lease Agreement with the Sultan of Sulu over North Borneo fro 5,000 Malaysian dollars. Overbeck later sold his rights in the contract to the Englishman Dent. Dent proceeded to form a company which he named the British North Borneo Company and which assumed all the rights and obligations under the 1878 contract of lease.

In 1881, the British North Borneo Company was awarded he Royal Charter. The Spanish and Dutch governments lodged a protest with the British government, to which the United Kingdom replied, “sovereignty remains with the Sultan of Sulu,” meaning the company was merely an administration authority.

Again, in 1903, the British North Borneo Company, recognizing the sovereignty of the Sultan over North Borneo, asked the Sultan of Sulu to execute a confirmatory affirming the Lease Agreement of 1878. It was on July 10, 1946, a mere six days after the Philippines was granted its independence by the United States, that the British North Borneo Company turned over all its right and obligations to the British government which un turn the asserted full sovereign rights over Sabah.

The Philippines, a newly-born nation, was caught flat-footed. The 1935 Constitution incorporated the Sultanate of Sulu to the framework of the Republic of the Philippines without prior issuance of official notice to the government of the Sultan. Our commonwealth government thus became the successors of the interest of the US over the sovereignty of the Sulu Sultanate.

However, on June 22, 1962, the Department of Foreign Affairs notified the United Kingdom agreed to hold talks on the claim. At present, whatever efforts may be exerted to pursue our claims to sovereignty over Sabah may have been practically impaired by our military and economic debility.

At this time, we can not afford to go to any logistics and finances; and our government is beset by pockets of rebellion and secession plus unstable peace and order in our shore. Except for our mortal and legal right, we stand helpless, naked even to our friends. It must be settled once and for all, in a fair tribunal like the International Court of Justice to ensure equal proper dispensation of justice. Let us just hope for an enlightened leadership to reassert the issue on Sabah claims.
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Violence is rampant in the country while values and morals are becoming a thing of the past. Respect for elders, visitors, youngsters, women are the very foundation of harmonious relationship with our fellow Filipinos. Personnel of buses, jeeps and tricycles should have the ethics and proper discipline to promote tourism in Ilocos Norte.

Some drivers and conductors have been observed as lacking in decorum and courtesy in addressing the needs of passengers especially their moral right to be respected. Their arrogance provides is dismal and it would be a waste of time to argue with someone who has depraved morality and poor reasoning.

There must be a code of discipline that governs the relationship of individuals who have been granted the privilege to own a certificate of public convenience. Mistreatment or maltreatment of passengers has no place in a decent society.
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In relation to his, drugstores, shopping malls, restaurants, academic institutions, commercial centers and the like must also be well-versed with the Confucian ethics and Christian values.
Some employees are arrogant and unduly rile their customers or clients. Their problems at home should not be carried to their place of work to attract more customers. Pharmacists should be more considerate to senior citizen especially when they purchase medicines and demand or request discounts as provided for by law. Notwithstanding the personality, social condition and background of customers, we must learn to give genuine hospitality, respect and commiseration to our elders.