posted at 8:21am today: Breaking news: Pres. PNoy calls on Sultan followers to stand down 

President Aquino called on the followers of the Sulu Sultan who are holed up in Lahad Datu, Sabah to stand down and return to Sulu.

   In a statement broadcast live at the government TV station, the President said that he had ordered an investigation to determine whether any laws have been violated by the acts of the Sultan’s followers.

   He said that the grievances of the Sultan of Sulu are being addressed and the impression that the Palace had ignored his letter to the President a few months ago was misplaced. The President clarified that the letter was caught in the maze of the bureaucracy. He said that with this explanation, the Sulu Sultan should not continue proceeding from a mistaken notion.