Defensor Santiago was in favor of appointing a third-party to conduct under international law " inquiry and fact-finding " to resolve the North Borneo dispute , where the third-party is approved by both the national governments of Malaysia and the Philippines . She cited the 1907 Hague Convention for the Pacific Settlement of Disputes as motivator of her legal position . She said that this can end the dispute as it did in the 1981 involvement of mercenaries in an invasion of the Seychelles , the 1987 use of chemical weapons in the Gulf War between Iran and Iraq , and the 1988 destruction of Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 . She said that since no transfer of sovereignty was involved in the 1878 Deed , no transfer of sovereignty has ever passed to Malaysia . She added that the Philippines has never abandoned its claim over eastern Sabah
1988 destruction of Korean Air Lines Boeing 747
Korean Air Lines Flight 007
Miriam Defensor Santiago