US envoy refuses to comment on US cables

PAGADIAN CITY, Philippines—US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas on Thursday declined to react to purported confidential cables on the Philippines sent by his predecessor to Washington which were released by the antisecrecy website WikiLeaks over the weekend.

“We do not comment on WikiLeaks in any frame or manner,” was Thomas’ curt reply.

Thomas was here as the keynote speaker for the 20th Mindanao Business Conference, which kicked off Wednesday.

He immediately flew to Zamboanga City to meet Mayor Celso Lobregat for a private lunch at the Zamboanga City Hall office.

Edwin Capili, vice president for Mindanao of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the cables being released by WikiLeaks should be “treated with a grain of salt.”

“Personally, the Wikileaks, although it’s there, has to be treated with a grain of salt, because we do not know how they got the information,” he said.

Capili also said whatever has been made public by WikiLeaks, even those that concern business activities in the Philippines, is “not a concern to us.”

“We don’t talk about it, it’s not really our concern,” he said.

But while questioning WikiLeaks’ sources, Capili admitted that US Embassy officials, including Kenney, had consulted with Philippine business personalities and organizations in 2010.

“We were consulted on the situation of our respective localities. We told her frankly about the real situation, it’s an open discussion and we aired the concerns of our respective localities,” he said.

The concerns aired during that time were more on peace and security, he said.

Capili described the consultations with Kenney as very open.

“It was done in candid manner, unfiltered. Whatever good it served them, being consulted was important enough for us,” he said.