NSC Proposes Bilateral Platform for Undocumented Filipinos in Sabah

The National Security Councils of the Philippines and Malaysia have committed to deepening their cooperation in addressing the evolving regional security threats facing the neighboring countries.

This commitment was followed by a bilateral meeting earlier this week in Makati City between Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Año and Malaysia's National Security Council Director General Raja Dato' Nushirwan Bin Zainal Abidin, where the two officials engaged in dialogue on political, security, and economic ties between their countries as member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

During their meeting, Año raised the situation of undocumented Filipinos residing in Sabah, Malaysia, as he proposed the creation of a bilateral platform dedicated to addressing these pressing issues.

“Though many Filipinos have been given residency status in Sabah, many remain undocumented. It is the desire of our government to register all of these undocumented Filipinos for them to access social services offered by the Philippine government," Año told Raja Nushirwan.

Raja Nushirwan welcomed Año’s proposal, noting that the Malaysian government will continue to facilitate consular visits for the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to Sabah and Sarawak.

Security engagements

Additionally, both NSC chiefs discussed several regional and global security issues, as well as updates on the Philippines-Malaysia security engagements.

For his part, Año mentioned the directives given by their respective lead

“Our two leaders, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made a commitment in 2023 to strengthen the political, security, and economic relations of our two countries," Año told Raja Nushirwan.

"Their commitments are marching orders for us to continue our security engagements and explore areas of cooperation," he added.

In response, Raja Nushirwan emphasized the need for both countries to pursue strategic collaboration.

“The signal from the top leadership is clear. The Philippines and Malaysia have a close relationship, and we have to increase cooperation at all levels. Our relations are organic in nature because of our proximity," he said.

As founders of the ASEAN, Año pointed out the need for both Malaysia and the Philippines to push for strengthening the key principle of the region—the “ASEAN centrality.”

“It is the vision of ASEAN to be the leader, driver, architect, and vanguard of regional cooperation in the Asia Pacific or putting ASEAN at the center of the regional architecture,” he added.

Trilateral cooperation

Also, during their meeting, Año and Raja Nushirwan revisited the existing trilateral cooperative agreement among the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, which is geared toward combating piracy, human trafficking, and other transnational crimes within their maritime borders.

Año highlighted the effectiveness of this trilateral cooperation.

“We must continue to work together to sustain the gains brought about by the Trilateral Cooperative Agreement and work on improving other areas of cooperation in the tri-border area like the establishment of joint rules of engagement,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Raja Nushirwan conveyed Malaysia’s strong support for ASEAN's crucial role as a key platform for discussing regional security issues.

He also emphasized the longstanding relationship between Malaysia and the Philippines, which “remains robust and vital, driven by their shared proximity and common interests.”

Año and Raja Nushirwan concluded their bilateral meeting with a “strong commitment” to advance collaborative efforts in regional security, as well as to strengthen their partnership in promoting peace, stability, and prosperity throughout the Asia Pacific, in alignment with the principles of ASEAN unity and centrality.