Jamalul Kiram III

{{Short description|Pretender to the Sulu Sultanate (1938–2013)}}

{{Infobox royalty

| name = Jamalul Kiram III
جَمَلُلْ كِرَمْ ٣

| image =

| succession = Pretender to the Sultanate of Sulu

| reign = June 15, 1986 – October 20, 2013

| reign-type = Pretence

| predecessor = Aguimuddin Abirin and Mohammad Akijal Atti

| successor = Ismael Kiram II

| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|7|16}}

| birth_place = Maimbung, Sulu, Commonwealth of the Philippines

| death_date = {{death date and age|2013|10|20|1938|7|16}}

| death_place = Quezon City, Philippines

| spouse =

| issue = Jacel Kiram

| house = Royal House of Kiram

| father = Datu Punjungan Kiram

| mother = Sharifa Usna Dalus Strattan

| religion = Sunni Islam

}}

Jamalul ibni Punjungan Kiram III (July 16, 1938 – October 20, 2013){{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10405810/Jamalul-Kiram-III.html|title=Jamalul Kiram III|publisher=The Telegraph|date=October 25, 2013|access-date=October 26, 2015}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-10-20/sulu-s-sultan-kiram-iii-dies-sought-to-restore-reign-over-sabah|title=Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, Who Led Revolt in Malaysia, Dies at 75|author1=Joel Guinto|author2=Clarissa Batino|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|publisher=Bloomberg|date=October 21, 2013|access-date=October 22, 2013}} was a former self-proclaimed Sultan of the Sulu Sultanate{{cite book|author1=Joseph Liow|author2=Michael Leifer|title=Dictionary of the Modern Politics of Southeast Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G5KLBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA36|date=November 20, 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-62233-8|pages=36–}} who claimed to be "the poorest sultan in the world".{{cite web|url=http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/03/08/917097/kiram-im-poorest-sultan-world|title=Kiram: I'm the poorest sultan in the world|agency=Associated Press|publisher=The Philippine Star|date=March 8, 2013|access-date=March 8, 2013}} He was known as an unsuccessful candidate for senator in the Philippine general elections in 2007. In 2013, Kiram III sparked a controversy when he revived a dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia by leading an intrusion into the eastern part of Sabah. His daughter is Princess Jacel Kiram, a proponent of the Sabah claim of the Philippines in 2016.{{cite web|url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/64577/heirs-of-sultan-of-sulu-pursue-sabah-claim-on-their-own|title=Heirs of Sultan of Sulu pursue Sabah claim on their own|publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=February 16, 2013|access-date=February 20, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.kln.gov.my/web/guest/home?p_p_id=101_INSTANCE_Yt06&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-3&p_p_col_pos=1&p_p_col_count=5&_101_INSTANCE_Yt06_struts_action=%2Fasset_publisher%2Fview_content&_101_INSTANCE_Yt06_urlTitle=press-statement%3A-meeting-with-the-secretary-of-foreign-affairs-of-the-philippines-h-e-albert-f-del-rosario-on-4-march-2013-kenyataan-akhbar%3A-pertemuan-dengan-setiausaha-luar-filipina-t-y-t-albert-fl-del-rosario-pada-4-mac-2013&_101_INSTANCE_Yt06_type=content&redirect=%2Fweb%2Fguest%2Fhome |title=Press Statement: Meeting with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, H.E. Albert F. del Rosario on 4 March 2013 |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia |date=March 5, 2013 |access-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308101100/http://www.kln.gov.my/web/guest/home?p_p_id=101_INSTANCE_Yt06&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-3&p_p_col_pos=1&p_p_col_count=5&_101_INSTANCE_Yt06_struts_action=%2Fasset_publisher%2Fview_content&_101_INSTANCE_Yt06_urlTitle=press-statement%3A-meeting-with-the-secretary-of-foreign-affairs-of-the-philippines-h-e-albert-f-del-rosario-on-4-march-2013-kenyataan-akhbar%3A-pertemuan-dengan-setiausaha-luar-filipina-t-y-t-albert-fl-del-rosario-pada-4-mac-2013&_101_INSTANCE_Yt06_type=content&redirect=%2Fweb%2Fguest%2Fhome |archive-date= March 8, 2013 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/03/03/Semporna-villagers-beat-to-death-exMoro-commander/|title=Semporna villagers beat to death ex-Moro commander|work=The Star|date=March 3, 2013|access-date=October 11, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/06/30/sabahans-will-not-forget-lahad-datu-incident-musa/|title=Sabahans will not forget Lahad Datu incident — Musa|work=Bernama|publisher=The Borneo Post|date=June 30, 2013|access-date=October 11, 2013}}

Early life

Jamalul was born in Mainbung, Sulu. He was the eldest son of Datu Punjungan Kiram and Sharifa Usna Dalus Strattan. He is descended from the first Sultan of Sulu, Sharif ul-Hāshim of Sulu from the Banu Hashem tribe, the direct descendants of Muhammad. Kiram III also claimed to have a common ancestor with Brunei's current sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, although this was denied by Brunei.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1370&dat=19890827&id=lrROAAAAIBAJ&pg=6393,4577378&hl=en|title=No links with Kiram, says Brunei embassy|author=Alito Malinao|publisher=Manila Standard|date=August 27, 1989|access-date=June 19, 2015}}{{Failed verification|date=June 2025}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| party = Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas

| alma_mater = Notre Dame of Jolo College
Manuel L. Quezon University

}}

Kiram III studied in Jolo Central Elementary School from 1946 to 1951. He finished high school at the Sulu High School in 1955 and took up pre-law from 1956 to 1958 at Notre Dame of Jolo. He studied for a Bachelor of Law degree from Manuel L. Quezon University (MLQU) in 1964 but was unable to finish it and pursued a career in dance instead. He was married to Dayang Hadja Fatima Celia H. Kiram, and resided in Taguig, Metro Manila.

As pretender

In the 2007 elections, Jamalul Kiram III unsuccessfully ran as Senator under the banner of TEAM Unity.{{cite web|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view/20070223-51200/CV_of_Jamalul_D._Kiram_III |title=CV of Jamalul D. Kiram III |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=February 23, 2007 |access-date=January 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006105835/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view/20070223-51200/CV_of_Jamalul_D._Kiram_III |archive-date=October 6, 2012 }} After the family meeting, Kiram III once again became the self-proclaimed Sultan alongside Ismael Kiram II. He also declared Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram as "crown prince".

Beginning on February 9, 2013, approximately 200 men led by his brother, Agbimuddin Kiram, intruded into neighbouring Sabah in Malaysia by entering illegally into Lahad Datu, in an effort to assert the former Sulu Sultanate's claim to the state. Kiram was reported to have directed them to intrude and not leave, claiming that "Malaysia is only renting Sabah" from the heirs of the Sultanate. The men, many of whom were heavily armed, engaged in a standoff with Malaysian police and armed forces which saw the death of 56 of his followers while the rest were either captured or escaped.{{cite AV media|url=http://www.astroawani.com/videos/show/buletin-awani/kronologi-pencerobohon-lahad-datu-25523|title=Kronologi pencerobohon Lahad Datu|language=ms|medium=video|time=1:20|publisher=Astro Awani|date=February 15, 2014|access-date=February 27, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/lahad-datu-invasion-a-painful-memory-of-2013-27579|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106200646/http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/lahad-datu-invasion-a-painful-memory-of-2013-27579|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 6, 2014|title=Lahad Datu invasion: A painful memory of 2013|author=Najiah Najib|publisher=Astro Awani|date=December 30, 2013|access-date=December 30, 2013}} The intrusion was believed to have been caused when the Philippine government treated him and his wife only as "decorations" during the signing of a framework agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). President Benigno Aquino III blamed Kiram and his followers for dragging the Philippines into the dispute, damaging relations between Malaysia and the Philippines, with a bad impact on overseas Filipinos in Malaysia.{{cite web|url=http://www.rappler.com/nation/23218-tawi-tawi-misses-the-old-sabah|title=Tawi-Tawi misses the old Sabah|author=Angela Casauay|publisher=Rappler|date=March 6, 2013|access-date=July 23, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/67373/aquino-i-wont-allow-sulu-sultan-to-drag-ph-into-war-with-malaysia |title=Aquino: I won't allow Sulu sultan to drag PH into war with Malaysia |author=Michael Lim Ubac |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=March 7, 2013 |access-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140724170821/http://globalnation.inquirer.net/67373/aquino-i-wont-allow-sulu-sultan-to-drag-ph-into-war-with-malaysia |archive-date=July 24, 2014 |url-status=dead |quote=President Aquino said in a statement, ‘I appeal to you (Jamalul Kiram III) — we should be really clear on this — this incident is wrong. If this is wrong, why should we (the government) lend support to this? We should support what is right… which will lead us to brighter prospects; the wrong option will only bring us ruin. That's it, that's my simple message.’ He also added ‘Let's not forget: What they (the Jamalul Kiram III faction) are pushing for is their right as so-called heirs of the sultan of Sulu. It's not yet clear if their rights have been transferred to the Philippines. But we (the Philippines citizens and our nation) will all be affected by their conflict (with Malaysia).’ }} His actions drew criticism from many Filipinos in Sabah, who feared retaliation and discrimination from the local Borneo tribes, especially after the killing of Malaysian police officers from the indigenous Borneo races.{{cite web|url=http://www.rappler.com/nation/23164-pinoys-in-sabah-fear-retaliation |title=Pinoys in Sabah fear retaliation |author=Charlie Saceda |publisher=Rappler |date=March 6, 2013 |access-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024030440/http://www.rappler.com/nation/23164-pinoys-in-sabah-fear-retaliation |archive-date=October 24, 2015 |url-status=dead }} Furthermore, other claimants to the Sultanate's authority decried his approach, preferring to pursue peaceful means to resolve the Sabah dispute without resorting to violence.{{cite web|url=http://www.prlog.org/12080731-statement-from-ampun-muedzul-lail-tan-kiram-35th-sultan-of-sulu.html|title=Statement from Ampun Muedzul-Lail Tan Kiram, 35th Sultan of Sulu|publisher=PRLog|date=February 15, 2013 |access-date=February 21, 2013}}{{cite web|author=Allan Afdal Nawal|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/364955/2-more-claim-to-be-real-sultan-of-sulu|title=2 more claim to be real sultan of Sulu|publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=February 26, 2013|access-date=February 26, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/2/21/nation/12737830 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413161656/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/2/21/nation/12737830 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 13, 2013 |title=Businessman: I am the Sultan of North Borneo |work=The Star |date=February 21, 2013 |access-date=February 26, 2013 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.asianewsnet.net/Suluk-leader-Over-my-dead-body-Ill-allow-Filipinos-43823.html|title=Suluk leader: 'Over my dead body I'll allow Filipinos to claim Sabah'|work=The Star|publisher=Asian News Network|date=March 11, 2013|access-date=June 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322014020/http://asianewsnet.net/Suluk-leader-Over-my-dead-body-Ill-allow-Filipinos-43823.html|archive-date=March 22, 2013|url-status=usurped}}

On October 3, 2024, Malaysia's Federal Court upheld the death sentences of seven Filipino men involved in the 2013 Lahad Datu invasion, which had resulted in the deaths of nine Malaysian security personnel.{{Cite web |title=Federal Court Upholds Death Sentence For Seven Filipino Men In Lahad Datu 2013 Invasion |url=https://my.headtopics.com/news/federal-court-upholds-death-sentence-for-seven-filipino-men-59763764 }} The ruling was seen as a step toward ensuring justice and strengthening national security in Malaysia.{{Cite web |title=Azalina justifies death sentence for seven Sulu 'terrorists'; says penalty for local Lahad Datu 'traitors' to be known after French court ruling in Nov |url=https://news.nestia.com/detail/Azalina-justifies-death-sentence-for-seven-Sulu-%E2%80%98terrorists%E2%80%99%3B-says-penalty-for-local-Lahad-Datu-%E2%80%98traitors%E2%80%99-to-be-known-after-French-court-ruling-in-Nov/12945789 }}

Death

On October 20, 2013, Kiram III died at the age of 75 due to multiple organ failure. He made a dying request to be buried at the capital of the Sultanate in Maimbung, Sulu. He left eight children by two wives.{{cite web|url=http://www.rappler.com/nation/41779-sulu-sultan-jamalul-kiram-iii-dies/|title=Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III dies|author=Angela Casauay|work=Agence France-Presse|publisher=Rappler|date=October 20, 2013|access-date=October 21, 2013}} Numerous political personalities paid their respects to the late Sultan including Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Mujiv Hataman and Sulu Vice-governor Abdusakur Mahail Tan,{{cite web|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/510807/armm-governor-sulu-vice-governor-extend-condolences-to-kirams-family|title=ARMM governor, Sulu vice governor extend condolences to Kiram's family|author=Julie S. Alipala|publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=October 20, 2013|access-date=October 21, 2013}} and former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos.{{cite web|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/331705/news/regions/lack-of-clearance-hampers-burial-before-sundown-for-kiram|title=Lack of clearance hampers burial before sundown for Kiram|publisher=GMA News|date=October 20, 2013|access-date=October 21, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/331677/news/nation/palace-sympathizes-with-kirams-over-sultan-s-death|title=Palace sympathizes with Kirams over sultan's death|publisher=GMA News|date=October 20, 2013|access-date=October 21, 2013}}

His spokesman said that their "royal family" would continue to pursue their main intention over the former dispute between Philippines and Malaysia.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-20/sulu-s-sultan-kiram-iii-dies-sought-to-restore-reign-over-sabah.html|title=Sulu's Sultan Dies, Sought to Restore Reign over Sabah|author1=Joel Guinto|author2=Clarissa Batino|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|publisher=Bloomberg|date=October 20, 2013|access-date=October 21, 2013}} The Malaysian branch of police in Sabah has stated that they "would continue to be alert for any intrusion".{{cite web|url=http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/10/21/1247588/dying-sulu-sultan-pursue-sabah-claim|title=Dying Sulu Sultan: Pursue Sabah claim|publisher=The Philippine Star|date=October 21, 2013|access-date=October 22, 2013}}

Family

Kiram III's daughter, Princess Jacel Kiram, is the designated spokeswoman of the late sultan and the most known of all the members of the Sulu royal family. The princess is currently living in a subdivision established by the Philippine government in Taguig in 1974, along with other members of Kiram III's family. Her father's royal bloodline established her royal ties with the Muslim royals of Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-tawi, Maguindanao, and Lanao del Sur. Her grandmother from the maternal side came from Pangasinan in the Ilocos Region, while her grandfather came from Sorsogon in the Bicol Region. Her name is literally an amalgamation of the Muslim name, Jamulul (from her father), and the Christian name, Celia (from her mother). In 2002, she finished her bachelor of arts with a degree in Inter-Disciplinary Studies at De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde. During that time, her thesis, “The Sulu Sultanate’s Genealogy and its Relation to the Philippines’ Claim to Sabah” was declared as Best Thesis. In 2013, she married Moh Yusop Hasan, a Filipino army major. In 2017, she headed the Philippine delegation on the 19th World Festival of Youth and Students in the World Federation of Democratic Youth held in Sochi, Russia. She was also a delegate of the Philippines to China in celebration of the 600th Year of Sulu-China Friendship, coinciding with the book launching of Friendship Without Borders, in Guangxi. Jacel also participated in a United Nations-sponsored conference on Drug Control Program held at the United Nations Office in Vienna, Austria. She was also the chairman of People's Coalition for Peace.{{Cite web|url=https://businessmirror.com.ph/geopolitics-and-a-princess-conversation-on-sabah/|title = Geopolitics and a Princess: Conversation on Sabah | Roger Pe| website=BusinessMirror |date = April 18, 2018}}

References

{{S-tul|title=Sultan of Sulu|years=1983–1990|reason=Sultanate powers ceded to the Philippines}}

{{S-tul|title=Sultan of Sulu|years=2012–2013
with Ismael Kiram II|reason=Sultanate powers ceded to the Philippines}}

Category:Pretenders

Category:Filipino datus, rajas and sultans

Category:Filipino Muslims

Category:Filipino people of Arab descent

Category:Manuel L. Quezon University alumni

Category:People from Taguig

Category:People from Sulu

Category:1938 births

Category:2013 deaths

Category:Deaths from multiple organ failure

Category:Terrorism in Malaysia

Category:Tausūg people

Category:Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas politicians