Aquino: Diplomatic cable on Cory won't affect US visit

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III on Monday said the supposed United States diplomatic cable that described his mother — the late President Corazon Aquino — as a "partial icon of morality" will not affect his official visit to the US this month. “Kung tama itong mga kableng ito at iyon ang assessment niya parang--lalo na iyong binabanggit iyong sa nanay ko--parang ang layo sa katotohanan," Aquino told reporters. “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 said. He said he will just focus on the forum on open governance which he will be attending in the US. “Iyong open governance is something that we are also championing and this seeks to do the same for the rest of the world. So why should we not help and have stable, progressive countries everywhere in the world that can be our partners as we try to achieve our own progress," said Aquino. Aquino said the Department of Foreign Affairs will just issue a statement on the matter, saying they should just move forward. “Ang sa akin di ba, 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 said. 'Partial icon of morality' In a supposed diplomatic cable in July 2009, published on the Wikileaks website, former US Ambassador to Manila Kristie Ann Kenney called Mrs. Aquino an icon of democracy but only a partial icon of morality. “[Mrs.] 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] Arroyo — even after she supported then-Vice President Arroyo’s 2001 successful ‘second People Power’ revolt, which ousted President Estrada," she was quoted as saying in the cable. Kenney, now posted in Bangkok, disowned the WikiLeaks article and asked the public not to believe everything they read. Implications on foreign policy Aquino said if the cables were true, the US government should assess their capabilities to assess and gather the necessary information.　 “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 asked. He said the US probably needs to determine if they are receiving complete, accurate, and timely information from their sources. "Ano na ang kanilang nirereportan kung inaakala na siya iyong pinaka-maagap at kumpletong source ng kaalaman ay mukhang hindi yata ganun," he said. “So nag-alala ka na pag mali ang impormasyon pinagbabasihan ng desisyon, paano magiging tama iyong desisyon?" he added. - VVP, GMA News