CEBU, Philippines, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government assured Wednesday that the standoff in Sabah between Malaysian authorities and armed Filipinos won't hurt the ongoing peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras also assured that the standoff won't derail the implementation of the Sajahatra Bangsamoro program -- a socioeconomic program which aims to provide livelihood, scholarship grants and health insurance to the Bangsamoro communities in southern Philippines.
"The projects in Mindanao will now push through. Sajahatra is going to push through. We are already planning for the next phases of the Sajahatra. As a matter of fact, the panel is in Kuala Lumpur for discussion and part of the discussion is the Sajahatra, " Almendras said in an interview on the sidelines of the inauguration of a shopping mall in Cebu.
He said President Aquino is regularly updated on the incident.
An armed group of Filipinos has holed up at Tanduao in Lahad Datu town since February 12 claiming that they were the "Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo" and that they were returning to their homeland in Sabah.
The group claimed to be followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III of Sulu, saying they have orders from the Sultanate of Sulu which has a historic claim over the northern tip of Borneo island in the Malaysian state of Sabah.
The Philippines had been claiming Sabah as part of its territory for years now, but government officials said the claim had been "dormant."
Representatives from the Philippines and Malaysia were still discussing how to resolve the matter, trying their best to find a peace way to solve the incident.
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