Like mother, like son

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?

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.