Philippine president: Sabah claim not part of agenda in Malaysia visit

Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Wednesday that the country's claim over Sabah will not be taken up during his two-day state visit to Malaysia later this month. "Sabah was not part of the agenda," Aquino told reporters in an interview. He will be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Feb. 27 and 28 for a state visit. Aquino said his bilateral meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will center on the ongoing peace process of the Philippine government with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) , trade, and commerce. He said Malaysia is offering livelihood assistance to those who will be part of the envisioned Bangsamoro political entity -- a substate that will replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao by 2016. Malaysia brokered the peace process between the Philippine government and the MILF, the biggest Muslim rebel group in the country. While the Philippines' clam over Sabah will not be taken up, Aquino said he would inquire from Malaysian authorities about the situation of detained Filipinos who sailed to Lahad Datu in Sabah last year to "reclaim" the Malaysian-controlled territory. Malaysian authorities arrested the followers of the late Jamalul Kiram III, a self-proclaimed sultan of Sulu, after they holed up in Lahad Datu for a few weeks. Aquino also made an assurance that the Philippine government continues to monitor the situation of other undocumented Filipinos in Sabah.