MANILA, March 11, 2013-Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan today urges the Malaysian in being forthright in dealing with the Philippines government amid reports of abuses by Malaysian police even on Filipino civilians.
“We urge te Malaysian government to allow Philippine diplomats to assess the conflict areas so as to ensure that there is no misinformation. At this point anyone can give out false data for propaganda purposes. The only way we can ensure that there are no abuses is if our diplomats are allowed to assess the situation in Sabah.”
Pangilinan says that reports of abuses are alarming, and if true could strain relations between the Philippines and Malaysia.
“There can never be an excuse in the massacre and abuse of innocent civilians. The Philippine government cannot stand idly by and turn a blind eye on such abuses to its citizens. We strongly urge the Malaysian government to give our diplomats full access and briefing on their operations in Sabah. Transparency should be easily given among friendly nations.”
“The bottomline here is that no matter the stake, we cannot allow grave abuses of authority among our citizens by other governments, especially on those who are innocent and are only caught in the crossfires.”
