MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is ignoring a leaked diplomatic report by former US ambassador Kristie Kenney that described President Aquino as “diffident and unassertive.”
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte yesterday said the supposed leaked assessment of Aquino was “clearly wrong.”
“Essentially, we don’t feel the need to further answer that. Obviously, you can ask anybody, the assessment is clearly wrong. You can see it in the performance of the President,” Valte said in an interview at state-run radio dzRB.
She said Malacañang has decided to take the report “at face value” and “not read into it anymore.”
Kenney’s diplomatic report was published by the website Wikileaks. In the report, Kenney described Aquino in September 2009 – after he announced that he will run for president – of being “diffident and unassertive.”
The former ambassador to Manila filed a series of unflattering reports about Aquino shortly after he announced his candidacy.
“Senator Aquino’s confident, energetic announcement today was a stark contrast to his diffident performance last week,” Kenney reported. “Previous contacts with Senator Aquino, often accompanying his mother (the late Cory Aquino)... left the impression of a diffident, unassertive man continuing a political tradition handed on by his parents but not carving his own legacy.”
The ambassador ended her tour of duty in 2010, before which, Aquino called on her in her home in January 2010.
“It remains unclear whether Aquino can turn his shy, reserved qualities into strengths,” Kenny reported before ending her posting.
Her last cables suggested that she remained doubtful of Aquino’s success in politics but recognized that his political record is free from allegations of corruption.
“Unlike other major presidential candidates... Aquino was vague on specific policies he would pursue if he won office,” she reported after the meeting with Aquino in her home.
“Aquino may be perceived as having had a lackluster political career, but he also appears to have a relatively clean record with no baggage of scandals, which could be a distinct advantage.”