evidence: Senator Robinhood Padilla talked about the Philippines’s claim over the Malaysian state of Sabah, during his first privilege speech on August 9. [...] "Since the Republic of the Philippines is confident enough that we can defend, sustain, and prove the ownership of the Sultanate of Sulu over this territory called Sabah or North Borneo, then we can challenge our friend, Malaysia, our neighbor Malaysia, if they are also confident enough…then we should, with our consent, both countries consenting, submit the issue before the international courts of justice for final settlement." Padilla may have chosen a complex topic for his first speech but it is far from being divisive. No Philippine politician or party will dare dispute the country’s claim over Sabah. He succeeded in popularizing news coverage of the issue. Few took notice of the French court of arbitration ruling in March because public attention was focused on the presidential election. There was also no significant public reaction when it was reported in July that heirs of the Sulu Sultanate have begun seizing assets owned by Malaysian state companies in Luxembourg.