ON TARGET: WHY IS THE GOVT DIGNIFYING WIKILEAKS; LIKE MOTHER, LIKE SON
MANILA, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011 (INQUIRER) By Ramon Tulfo Philippine Daily Inquirer - Why is the government dignifying WikiLeaks, an antisecrecy website, which exposed privileged communications between the US Embassy in Manila and the State Department in Washington, DC?
A privileged communication is supposed to be between the sender and the receiver and away from the prying eyes of the public.
It's just like reading love letters that have fallen into the wrong hands.
In giving too much attention to WikiLeaks, the Philippines may be compared to someone who takes part in reading the love letters of another person without the latter's consent.
Other countries dismiss WikiLeaks exposés as unofficial and even trash.
Why shouldn't the Philippine government do the same?
* * *
Former US Ambassador to the Philippine Kristy Kenney's assessment of then Sen. Noynoy Aquino, according to WikiLeaks, was that of a "diffident (and) unassertive man."
Kenney's assessment, said Palace deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte, was "clearly wrong."
"You can see it in the performance of the President," Valte added.
What performance is she talking about?
* * *
In previous cables to the State Department, Kenney said that while it is true that Cory Aquino, the President's mother, was a democracy icon, her "moral leadership… never fully compensated for her weak leadership style."
"Her presidency was marked by numerous coup attempts and allegations of corruption," Kenney said.
Was Kenney right or wrong in her assessment of the country's most loved president?
Cory was clean and honest bordering on sainthood, but her relatives and some members in her Cabinet definitely were not.
The same thing with P-Noy, whose honesty and integrity are beyond question. But can you say that of the people around him?
Like mother, like son.
* * *
President Cory didn't read the newspapers or watch TV network news except when her favorite daughter Kris was featured, according to Palace insiders at the time.
History repeats itself in Cory's son: P-Noy seldom, if ever, reads the newspapers or watches TV network news except when he's the one featured.
The President should be reminded that the only way for him to gauge public perception of his administration is for him to read the papers.
* * *
I'd like to congratulate my friend, Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali, Armed Forces' South Luzon commander, for winning the "Expert Rifleman Open Class" in the Sniper Competition held by the Philippine National Shooting Association in Taytay, Rizal province, recently.
He won over 169 other shooters.
Detabali used a 20-inch barrel PVAR rifle made by United Defense Mfg Corp. (UDMC), a local company.
Last month, this column cited UDMC's superior quality weapons, which are now being exported to other countries.
President Noy, a gun enthusiast, should recognize the efforts of this Filipino-patented technology, which was invented by Filipinos and made by a 100-percent Filipino company.
FROM MANILA BULLETIN
President rejects US envoy's assessments By GENALYN D. KABILING September 5, 2011, 7:32pm
MANILA, Philippines — President Aquino Monday rejected the unfavorable assessments of former US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney about him and his mother, saying the evaluations were "far from the truth."
If the secret US diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks were true, the President even encouraged Washington to review the information gathering and assessment capability of its diplomats in order to arrive at accurate decisions in the future.
Based on several classified diplomatic dispatches released by the anti-secrecy website, Kenney reportedly belittled the late President Corazon Aquino, saying she was a weak and tarnished leader who did not do enough to combat corruption.
Kenney, now an ambassador to Thailand, also supposedly described then Senator Aquino a "diffident" and "unassertive" leader shortly after he announced his presidential bid last year.
"If the cable was true and that was her assessment especially about my mother, it was far from the truth?" the President said in Filipino during a Palace press briefing.
Aquino said the US government "might have to assess their capabilities to assess and gather the necessary information so they will have correct basis for a decision."
Meanwhile, senators said Wikileaks reports can't be used or seen as evidence about the alleged involvement of First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo in illegal gambling and smuggling activities.
"It's good to hear it on the radio, then read it in newspapers and watch it on television, but it would be difficult for the government to base its allegations on Wikileaks," Escudero said.
According to the cable report, prominent members of the Manila business community confided about Arroyo's illegal activities with officials of the US Embassy back in 2005.
The report also said then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was aware of her husband's illegal activities but refused to curb his actions as he was instrumental in shepherding campaign donations to secure her power in government.
(MORE ON WIKILEAKS CABLES NEXT...)
----------------------------------------------------------
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
----------------------------------------------------------
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------
