MANILA, April 8 -- A local lawyer, hired to represent the three Filipinos detained in China over alleged espionage, is awaiting approval to visit, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega said the Philippine government will not comment further on the case but assured the families that the government is providing all the necessary legal assistance to the three, including funding for the legal counsel.

"There's a local lawyer taking on their case funded by the DFA Legal Assistance Fund and we're strongly requesting the Chinese authorities at least to allow (the lawyer) to see them in their detention in Hainan," he said in an interview.

De Vega recognized that the Chinese justice system...