MANILA, Philippines Government lawyers on Saturday defended the negotiation of a "Plan B" between government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), amid the row over an agreement on ancestral domain.
Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera said the peace talks can be considered a "continuing process" with negotiations always going on.
"It's a continuing process ... Continuing negotiations yan. With or without the case kailangan 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 is in the works should the Supreme Court void a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain.
Claudio did not give details of Plan B.
The proposed agreement is now the subject of a case pending before the Supreme Court, which held its first hearing Friday. The next hearing is set for Aug. 22.
For his part, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said his group remains confident that the government can defend the agreement before the Supreme Court, even as the MILF will not 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