'US should assess info gathering'

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino yesterday took exception to leaked diplomatic cables of former US ambassador Kristie Kenney, which criticized him and his late mother, former President Corazon Aquino, saying the assessments in the cables were far from the truth.

Aquino said the unflattering descriptions would not affect the country’s relations with the United States, a close ally.

But he added, “Maybe they should assess their capabilities to assess and gather the necessary information so they will get the right information on which to base their decisions.”

He also questioned whether US diplomats in the Philippines were getting the best and complete information on which to base their reports.

In the cable dated Jan. 22, 2010, which was released by anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, Kenney described Aquino - a senator at that time - as “diffident and unassertive.”

Another Kenney cable described Aquino’s mother as a “partial icon of morality,” saying her credibility as a moral crusader was tarnished when she joined corrupt officials opposed to then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“It is far from the truth; how can we say that it’s the truth?” Aquino said.

He also expressed concern how one can come up with the right decision based on wrong information.

“What comes to my mind is that there is a person on the ground, the eyes and ears of one of our biggest allies and sometimes they could be easily misled,” Aquino said.

“They will not comment officially whether or not those cables actually were sent. So, we are merely commenting on something that is maybe a bit of speculation,” he added.

He gave assurance that such remarks will not affect his forthcoming visit to the US.

“They (US) are a democratic society and we are also a democratic society. There is freedom of speech. There are limits but there is freedom. So does it affect (me)? No,” he said.

Meanwhile, the US embassy in Manila declined to comment on the WikiLeaks cables, including Arroyo’s knowledge of her husband’s misdeeds and involvement in jueteng and smuggling.

“We do not comment on the substance or authenticity of materials, including allegedly classified documents, which may have been leaked,” said Press Attaché Bettina Malone in a text message to The STAR.

The US embassy condemned in November the release of unauthorized information that are part of more than 250,000 documents from US embassies that were leaked by WikiLeaks, saying “any unauthorized disclosure of classified information by WikiLeaks has harmful implications for the lives of identified individuals that are jeopardized, but also for global engagement among and between nations.”

The US government also condemned in the strongest terms the unauthorized disclosure of classified documents and sensitive national security information that puts people’s lives in danger, threatens US national security, and undermines efforts to work with other countries to solve shared problems.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the authenticity of the leaked State Department documents on a hidden world of backstage international diplomacy should be ascertained first.

But the DFA said the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive diplomatic reports is very “disturbing.”

The US is confident that US partnerships with nations will withstand the global diplomatic crisis sparked by WikiLeaks in its release of more than 250,000 classified cables from American embassies.