MANILA, Philippines - Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera on Saturday defended "Plan B" negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) amid the row over the proposed agreement on ancestral domain.
Devanadera said the peace talks could be considered a "continuing process" with negotiations always going on.
"It's a continuing process ... Continuing negotiations 'yan. With or without the case kailangang tuloy ang usapan with the MILF (Negotiations are continuing. With or without the case the talks with the MILF are ongoing)," Devanadera said in an interview on dzXL radio.
On Friday, presidential political adviser Gabriel Claudio confirmed that a "Plan B" was being prepared in case the Supreme Court voids a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD).
Claudio, however, did not give details about the alternative plan.
The MOA-AD is now the subject of a case pending before the Supreme Court, which held its first hearing Friday. The next hearing is on August 22.
For his part, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said his group remained confident that the government could defend the MOA-AD before the Supreme Court, even though the MILF won't take part in the proceeding.
"Nasa kamay ng gobyerno ang pagdepensa, wala tayong participation sa puntong ito (It's in the hands of government. We have no participation in the court proceedings)," he said. - GMANews.TV