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<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-8/marcos-sabah-sm.webp" alt="President Ferdinand Marcos" />
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(President Ferdinand Marcos)
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Marcos said in a September 22, 1968 meeting with international media that Mohammad Ismael Kiram, then Sultan of Sulu, ordered on November 25 1957 the termination of the lease agreement between the Mindanao royalty and British entities signed in 1878.
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Marcos quoting Kiram's directive said:
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"I have declared and do hereby declare the termination of the said lease in favor of Gustavus Baron de Overbeck and Alfred Dent, their heirs and assigns, effective the 22nd day of January 1958, and that from and after that date all the lands covered by the said lease shall be deemed restituted thenceforth to the Sultanate of Sulu." 
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The former Chief Executive also cited a April 24, 1962 resolution of the House of Representatives <i>"urging the President of the Philippines to take the necessary steps for the recovery of a certain portion of the Island of Borneo and adjacent islands which appertain to the Philippines."</i>
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<h3>
House directs Palace move
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The resolution stated:
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 "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 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. Adopted unanimously, April 24, 1962."
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To comply with the directive, Marcos said his administration took a position to put the territorial question before the World Court or the International Court of Justice.
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The problem, however, was that the Malaysian government had refused to participate in a proceeding before an international body. Marcos explained:
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"Under the rulings concerning the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, no case can be brought to it for settlement without the agreement of both the conflicting parties," 
He chided Malaysia for its refusal to submit to the proceeding. "All I can say is that if I were sure of my case, on the basis of history and of law, I would not be afraid to go to the World Court," Marcos indicated.
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<h3>
US hinted backing
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Marcos also claimed at that time that the United States, through then Ambassador G. Menen Williams, has committed to abide by <i>"treaty commitments in the event of an attack on the Philippines"</i> over the Sabah dispute.
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The former President said he trusted William's statement.  According to him:
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"I submitted to the Ambassador an aide memoire. I presume that this will be answered in the same way."
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Right after the "Jabidah massacre" expose of then Marcos rival Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. in the same year and the signing of the Sabah bill that urged action on the claim, the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur was ransacked by supposed protesters.
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Marcos indicated then:
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"The right that we could exercise should be a demand for an apology and a demand for reparations, meaning a demand for the payment of damages arising from the rioting." 
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In retaliation, Marcos recalled the country's missions in Kuala Lumpur.
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Then President Marcos noted:
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"The decision still stands. But we are keeping the diplomatic staff there perhaps for some time. I am referring to the original official position of our government to recall the Ambassador and the diplomatic staff. However, as I told you, in view of this incident, they may have to stay there for some time." 
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<h3>
MNLF explores OIC option
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With the lease terminated, it will be up to the Philippine government and the Sultanate to pursue the valid claim.
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The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) said it may hold the key in resolving the issue, through a so-called "missing link" in the dispute which is the original contract.
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An MNLF source told the Daily Tribune that a direct descendant of the Sulu Sultan who helped the Brunei Sultanate to quell a rebellion holds the original lease contract written in Arabic between the British North Borneo Company and the Sultanate.
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It turned out that Sulu and Brunei monarchs have the same blood line.
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The individual also has in his possession a letter from the United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II acknowledging the Sultanate's proprietary right over Sabah.  The source said:
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"The documents he holds are from the Queen and the Sultan's ascension statement submitted to the Brunei embassy in October 2010 tracing the blood line of the heirs." 
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The documents will be the basis of the MNLF's plan to elevate the case to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for arbitration, the source said.
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The source indicated the Sultan of Sulu who was a cousin of the Sultan of Brunei during the Borneo conflict sent 1,000 Tausug warriors to victoriously fight the rebels.
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Brunei lineage
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The source added the heirs had coordinated with the Brunei Darussalam embassy in Manila in February 2009. The embassy, then required them to submit a statement of ascendancy to prove their claim of blood relationship with the Brunei monarchy.
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Lawyer Rexie Bugaring, MNLF senior legal adviser, declined to comment on the supposed missing link but confirmed that MNLF leaders is coordinating with the Sultanate of Sulu to help pursue Sabah's claim.  He said:
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"Any move of the MNLF regarding the Sabah claim will be cleared with President Duterte including the submission of the case to the OIC."
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President Marcos: Sultan of Sulu ordered the termination of the Sabah lease agreement in 1957