Aquino: Cables about Cory, myself are far from truth

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Monday brushed off the unflattering cable remarks made by former United States ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney against him and his late mother, former President Corazon Aquino.

He noted that it is unlikely that the source of the cables will admit transmitting such documents. As a result, it will be speculative if he will issue a comment about the issue.

“We are commenting on something that is kind of bits of speculations,” he said.

Kenney, who is now assigned in Thailand, described Aquino as "diffident and unassertive" when he was still a senator and running for presidency in 2010.

“Aquino left the impression of a diffident, unassertive man continuing a political tradition handed on by his parents but not carving his own legacy," Kenney said after he met Aquino in a courtesy call at her home in January 2010.

In a 2009 cable, Kenney also called Aquino’s mother “only a partial icon of morality.

“Aquino’s credibility as a moral crusader was tarnished when she was seen with disgraced former President (Joseph) Estrada in protest movements against (then) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo -- even after she had supported then Vice President Arroyo’s successful second People Power revolt in 2001 that ousted Estrada,” she said.

Aquino said if the cables were true, they were “far from truth”.

“In case these cables were true, their assessment especially on my mother is far from truth…They should assess their capabilities to assess and gather the necessary information para tama naman iyong pagbabase ng desisyon,” he said.

“Sa akin ang pumapasok lang is, there is a person on the ground, eyes and ears ng one of our biggest allies at medyo ang dali maligaw. So napapag isip ka kung ano ba ang implications sa foreign policy?” he added.

The President said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be issuing a formal statement on the issue.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario earlier rebuked Kenney’s remarks against the late democracy icon Cory.

He said the envoy’s statement “was most unfortunate."

“She (Kenney) was a dismal failure in helping the Filipinos defend our democracy. It would seem that she preferred to be favorably looked upon by the (Philippine presidential) palace," he added.

Kenney, on the other hand, said over Twitter not to fully believe the leaked cables.

Aquino, meanwhile, said the statement of Kenney will not affect his forthcoming visit to the US.

“They are a democratic society and we are also a democratic society. So di ba merong freedom of speech. May limits pero may freedom. So does it affect? No,” he stressed.

“Sa akin parang lumipas na yan maski ano pang gawin natin sa kasalukuyan hindi mo na mababago iyan. Ang importante paano ba iyong ngayon at paaano iyong bukas,” he added.

Aquino announced that he will be going to the US this month to attend the Open Government Partnership upon the invitation of US President Barack Obama. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)