DFA chief chides Amb. Kenney for Cory remark
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario gave stinging criticism of former United States Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney in reaction to her calling the late President Corazon âCory" Aquino as âonly a partial icon of democracy" in a diplomatic cable posted on the online whistleblower WikiLeaks. Various news outlets, sourcing from international wire reports, said del Rosario viewed Kenney as âa dismal failure in helping the Filipinos defend our democracy." âKristie Kenneyâs criticism of our champion of democracy was most unfortunate," del Rosario was quoted as saying. He is in China accompanying President Benigno Aquino III, Mrs. Aquinoâs son. When President Aquino visits the city of Xiamen, he will, during traditional rites, pay tribute to his and his motherâs Chinese ancestors. Del Rosario, however, complimented Kenney on being âextremely sociable," but he added, âIt would seem that she preferred instead to be favorably looked upon" by Arroyoâs administration. Kenney, through her Twitter account Wednesday, dismissed the WikiLeaks cable. âDon't believe all you read," Kenney, now posted in Bangkok, said in her tweet. A July 2009 US Embassy cable posted online by WikiLeaks quoted Kenney as saying Mrs. Aquinoâs credibility as a moral crusader was tarnished because she associated herself with ousted President Joseph Estrada in protests against then-President Gloria Arroyo. Mrs. Aquino helped oust Estrada in 2001 but turned against Arroyo in 2005, when a scandal broke out over taped conversations suggesting Arroyo may have cheated in the 2004 presidential elections. Mrs. Aquino, who was tagged an âicon of democracy" after challenging then strongman Ferdinand Marcos in the 1986 snap elections, succumbed to cancer on Aug. 1, 2009. Her passing generated the groundswell of support that eventually catapulted her only son to the presidency in May 2010. â JE/ELR/KBK, GMA News