WikiLeaks reveals over 45,500 classified US documents on 'Philippines'

UPDATED Early April 8, whistleblower site WikiLeaks upped the ante on public disclosure by unveiling its own custom search engine that enables anyone to quickly look through millions of classified US government documents:

 

WikiLeaks: Public Library of US Diplomacy - who sent cables about what in 1973? Browse the grid to discover: wikileaks.org/plusd/tags/gri… #plusd — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 8, 2013        

CIA and other agencies history of attempting to reclassify the US National Archives is now thwarted by PlusD | search.wikileaks.org/plusd/pressrel… — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 8, 2013        

"The WIKILEAKS Public Library of US Diplomacy (PlusD) holds the world's largest searchable collection of United States confidential, or formerly confidential, diplomatic communications," WikiLeaks claims in its About page. "The collection covers US involvements in, and diplomatic or intelligence reporting on, every country on earth. It is the single most significant body of geopolitical material ever published," it added. 

 

The WikiLeaks PlusD search engine enables one to search for documents by keyword, subject, level of secrecy, and other parameters. “(The PlusD archives) are hidden treasures, and very hard for the general public to get access to. One form of secrecy is complexity. That’s the reason why we decided to merge these files with our existing cables and put a lot of effort into making a user-friendly and accessible database,” WikiLeaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson has been quoted as saying. Search results for 'Philippines'

 

A general search for "Philippines" revealed 45,519 documents containing the keyword, while another search for "Philippines" as the specific subject brought up 2,088 results.

 

Although the exact nature and potential political impact of these documents has yet to be assessed in full, the documents may be expected to yield surprising revelations. In early 2011, a separate cache of documents disclosed by WikiLeaks was found to contain a despatch detailing an attempt to smuggle nuclear material out of the Philippines. Later that year, another document revealed the supposedly weakening influence of Communist Party founder Jose Ma. Sison over the National Democratic Front. Marcos' crossdressing generals Within 24 hours of PlusD's launch, one particular despatch from the US embassy in Manila has gone viral because of its revealing insights into the life of then president Ferdinand Marcos. The formerly confidential despatch, labeled 1973MANILA10390_b, was sent on September 12, 1973, by then US ambassador to the Philippines Willam H. Sullivan to the Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Command. The letter detailed the events of Marcos' birthday celebrations, which the ambassador described as "too much, too long, and in questionable taste." He went on to describe how Marcos'  military generals —everyone except then Philippine Constabulary Chief Fidel V. Ramos— "were required, as part of the Palace floor show, to parade in garish female attire." "(The) whole affair was a saccharine suffusion of sycophancy which reminded me unhappily of the heydays of (former Indonesian president) Sukarno and (former King of Cambodia) Sihanouk," Sullivan wrote. — KBK, GMA News