Palace echoes US envoy, Tagle: Choose leaders with integrity

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Malacañang on Wednesday welcomed the remarks of United States ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg, who said that the country’s next top leader should continue the reforms started by President Benigno Aquino III.

“Ambassador Goldberg has seen the benefits brought about by a government headed by President Aquino who leads by example. He has seen that good governance translates to good economics,” Presidential Spokersperson Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.

Lacierda was reacting to Goldberg’s statement in a press conference in Quezon City, when asked about the qualities that the next Philippine president should have.

The US envoy said he was not “in any way concerned” about whoever would win in the upcoming presidential elections, but noted the importance of the fight against corruption started by Aquino.

“I agree with my friend (Luis Antonio) Cardinal Tagle who has said that corruption is a very important issue. We’ve seen progress on that over the last few years,” Goldberg said, referring to Tagle’s remark during the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu that corrupt politicians were “unacceptable” to Christianity

READ: Cardinal Tagle: Corrupt politicos ‘unacceptable’ to Christianity | Cardinal Tagle: Corrupt politicians part of ‘throwaway culture’

Trumpeting the administration’s anti-corruption efforts, Lacierda urged the voting public to choose the country’s next leaders based on “proven integrity” and stand on corruption.

“Cardinal Tagle regards corruption as a moral issue and urges voters to use their stand against corruption as a yardstick for voting. We fully agree to the constructs of the two gentlemen (Goldberg and Tagle) as this government has subscribed to anti-corruption since the start,” Lacierda said.

“Hence, like the two, we urge our voters to choose the next leaders on the basis of proven integrity, among others,” he added. IDL

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