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1,796 cables from US Embassy-Manila leaked on Internet


Over 250,000 US State Department documents were leaked to the public on Sunday, including 1,796 diplomatic cables from the US Embassy in Manila, revealing the hidden back story of America's diplomatic relations with the rest of the world. US foreign policies are usually shrouded by public platitudes — smiles and handshakes at photo sessions among senior officials — until online whistle-blower "WikiLeaks" released the classified diplomatic cables. Out of the 250,000 cable messages from American embassies around the globe, only 220 have been uploaded so far to WikiLeaks. None of those are US Embassy-Manila cables, but these are expected to become available online as media organizations release batches of cables piecemeal. Several news outlets around the world, including the New York Times and the London-based Guardian, have access to the cable messages of the US State Department and have prepared their own databases. The cables provided often unflattering assessments of foreign leaders, ranging from US allies such as Germany and Italy to other nations like Libya and Afghanistan. Some were just amusing, such as US cables about Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi that dwelled on his female security guards and his interest in flamenco dancing. The cables also contained new revelations about long-simmering nuclear trouble spots, such as Iran, Pakistan, and North Korea; and reports that the US used diplomats to spy on United Nations officials. None of the revelations is particularly explosive but their publication might be problematic for some officials. The massive release of material intended for diplomatic eyes only is expected to ruffle feathers in foreign capitals, prompting US diplomats to scramble in recent days to shore up relations with key allies ahead of the disclosures. Based on the media databases and WikiLeaks' own database, GMANews.TV compiled the available data so far about US Embassy-Manila cables, such as: classification, most frequently mentioned topics, dates of memos, and others. From the cable messages from the US Embassy in Manila:

  • 982 were unclassified;
  • 749 were "confidential," and
  • 65 were tagged as "secret" messages.
    US embassy cables by origin and classification. Wikileaks.org
    Guardian database Using a database prepared by the Guardian newspaper (UK), GMANews.TV filtered the data set released by Wikileaks to include only those cables which originated from the US Embassy in Manila. These are the top tags that were used:
  • Philippines (1746)
  • External Political Relations (1135)
  • Internal Governmental Affairs (715)
  • Human Rights (409)
  • National Security (394)
  • Terrorists and Terrorism (394)
  • Economic Conditions (339)
  • Military and Defense Arrangements (279)
  • Foreign Economic Assistance (266)
  • Military Operations (240)
  • Intelligence (231)
  • Foreign Trade (188) Based on the Guardian database, 1,794 cables were sent from Manila between January 2005 to February 2010, with one cable dated November 21, 2001 and another one dated July 19, 1994. The majority of the leaked cables were sent during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Probe ‘Cablegate’ In a statement released Sunday, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said: "The cables show the US spying on its allies and the UN; turning a blind eye to corruption and human rights abuse in 'client states'; backroom deals with supposedly neutral countries and lobbying for US corporations." The 251,287 cables will be released in installments by WikiLeaks, with 220 memos uploaded as the first batch in a series of planned releases over the next few months. They "reveal the contradictions between the US's public persona and what it says behind closed doors," Assange said. Local militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) sought a probe of the US Embassy releases from Manila. "It is no secret that the US Embassy in Manila is actually a post for US intelligence gathering and US intervention in Philippine affairs. The Wikileaks files may help us better understand how the US exerts its influence on our country in light of several domestic controversies over the past nine years," said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr. Bayan noted that the crucial issue today in US-PHL relations is the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which is being reviewed amid criticisms that the VFA should be terminated. “Maybe through these files, we can better understand the US positions on the VFA and the US troops in Mindanao," said Reyes. Historically, classified US embassy documents once released have revealed an unvarnished view of what American officials saw and heard in their country posts, including the Philippines. The above cable from the US Embassy in Manila to the State Department in Washington DC was not among the documents leaked by Wikileaks, but it contains the kind of unvarnished information valuable to historians, in this case what the US ambassador in 1972 believed about Ninoy Aquino's links to the nation's Communist movement. In the 1970s, for instance, then-US Ambassador Henry Byroade sent telegrams to the State Department which revealed that the US was aware of Benigno “Ninoy" Aquino Jr.’s links to the budding Communist Party of the Philippines. A memo from the US Embassy, dated September 1972, noted that “Aquino believes that [Ferdinand] Marcos intends to stay in power indefinitely," which was why he maintained ties with communists and other rebels, as part of a network against the dictator. Now, in the post 9/11 era, Reyes said Filipinos should know why the US continued to support Arroyo throughout her nine-year term, amid reports from international agencies accusing her administration of human rights violations and corruption, and despite "massive calls for her ouster." — with reports from the Associated Press, Larissa Mae Suarez, RSJ/VVP/HS, GMANews.TV
    • Tags: wikileaks
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