The Chief Executive said the government will continue negotiating with the Marcoses in reaching a compromise deal after former First Lady Imelda Marcos denied having offered to pay $150 million to compensate some 10,000 alleged human rights abuse victims during her late husband's regime.

"I think we will continue negotiating and if ever the negotiations fail again, we might institute forfeiture proceedings," the President said in a press conference in Malacanang.

In a Thursday night forum sponsored by the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) at the Manila Hotel, the President had said that the government is working out a compromise deal with the Marcoses to ensure that victims of human rights abuses during martial law get at least 30 percent in the sharing of the Marcos ill-gotten wealth.

Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora said in the President's press conference this afternoon that a forfeiture case filed during the administration of former President Corazon Aquino is still pending against the Marcoses before the Sandiganbayan.

Zamora said the forfeiture case, which involves the $570 million Marcos deposits turned over by Swiss authorities to the Philippine National Bank (PNB) under an escrow account, will be pursued "with more vigor" once talks of a compromise agreement with the Marcoses fail.

Under a forfeiture case, the burden of proving who owns the disputed assets will rest with the respondents, which in this case are the Marcoses.

The Marcoses will have to prove that they legitimately own the contested $570 million by showing proof of how they had acquired these assets.