The Philippines took up a claim derived from the asserted rights of the Sultan of Sulu and his heirs. Australia’s published diplomatic record identifies that connection explicitly: the heirs maintained that the territory had been leased, and the Philippine claim rested on succession to Sulu’s sovereign rights.
An inherited claim becomes a diplomatic question
The Philippines took up the North Borneo claim in 1962. This Australian diplomatic publication explains the connection to the Sultan’s heirs. Its editorial annotation supplies the historical background to talks between governments; it is distinct from the recorded conversation itself.
Why this record matters
The editorial footnote traces the Philippine claim to the asserted rights of the Sultan and his heirs.
Sources & further reading
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Australia and the Formation of Malaysia, 1961–1966, document 17, Record of Conversation Between Kimber and Tange, with editorial footnote 2; NAA A1838, TS696/17/1 part 4.