Tracing the roots under a foreign soil

It's in the headlines but I completely have no idea why the Philippines (although not collectively) is caught in yet another territorial dispute, this time with the Malaysian government. So I searched all over and tried to absorb what-write-ups.

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/editorials/42573-filipinos-support-the-sultanate-of-sulu
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/66031/14-dead-in-sabah-assault
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/03/04/915533/sabah-uprising
http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/news/top-news/10011-100-kiram-loyalists-still-holed-up-in-lahad-datu-after-shootout

Turns out, the dispute over Sabah traces centuries back when the British colonisers 'awarded' Sabah to Malaysia (although the Brits were only leasing the land from PH). Malaysia is firm to believe that it now owns the island, albeit still pays a "rent" to the sultanate of Sulu.  therefore, the main conflict is ownership: to which Malaysia and Ph have claims over.

“Sabah is the patrimony of the Filipino Nation,” says Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, who is leading his clan consisting 300-plus people from Sulu. Reaching the disputed land by water, Datu Kiram is now in physical combat with Malaysian forces to claim what they believe should be theirs.

However, PNoy himself is not keen over the claims, and in fact has urged the clan to go back into safety, but to no avail. Reports said 12 from the Sultan's camp were shot dead in Friday's encounter.

Sulu has ever since been a territory of its own, somehow departing from the bigger nation that is Philippines. This is just another proof. It's sad that the government does not wish to support Sultan Karim's fight to what, history tells us, should have been ours.

Nonetheless, we cannot blame the government for taking the passive raod to peace. After all, we are quite underdog, sadly. This is pretty evident given how our claims to Spratlys are going so far. Another claim may be too much.

To where theis shall end- we shall wait.