Back in high school, there was a debate whether Sabah must be part of the Philippines or Malaysia. Apparently, Malaysia won and it’s no wonder why our country was trying to make it part of our archipelago too. The moment we landed at Kota Kinabalu airport, we didn’t feel any different. Apart from the Caucasians/Europeans lurking everywhere, Malaysians could easily be mistaken for Filipinos. They look like us, the sound of their language is Tagalog-like and the city itself feels very homey, as if I was just taking a stroll in old Manila. They even have a bay area very similar to our Roxas Boulevard. Even the countryside felt like we were on our way to Ilocos, Bukidnon or Sorsogon.
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