The Philippines persists with study on claim to Sabah

The death of Philippine self- proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III would not affect the government's study on the country's claim to Sabah, a Malaysian- controlled territory, a government spokesman said Sunday. "The study is still ongoing and the question presupposes that the claim is dependent on one person, which is not, so the study is still ongoing," said Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte in an interview on a state-run radio when asked if the government will still pursue its claim to Sabah following Kiram's death. President Benigno Aquino III directed in March the Department of Justice and his legal counsels, among others, to study the Philippine claim to Sabah. Aquino gave the order after Kiram's armed men sailed from southern island province of Tawi-Tawi to Lahad Datu in Sabah in February to claim the territory. Ten security forces personnel and dozens of gunmen were killed during the deadly stand-off and the attack by Malaysian police and armed forces. Valte said that Malacanang, the presidential palace, extends its condolences to Kiram's family. Jamalul Kiram III died of organ failure early Sunday morning at the age of 75.