By Ronron
December 4, 2007
United States Ambassador to Manila Kristie Kenney openly stated her objection on Tuesday to the takeover of Senator Antonio Trillanes and his supporters last November 29 of the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City.
Interviewed at the Philippine Navy headquarters in Manila City, Kenney said the US government will always be opposed to “extra-constitutional means to change government in the Philippines or anywhere else in the Philippines.”
“I think it’s always disturbing when you see people behaving in contrary to rule of law and Constitutional authority,” Kenney said.
“You hate to see people’s businesses ruined that the actions of a few small people could in fact endanger innocent civilians. That’s not a very good way to behave,” she added.
Kenney said that during the incident last Thursday, she spoke to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo several times, as well as Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr., Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., and national police chief Gen. Avelino Razon, Jr., “all to tell them that we’re a strong ally and partner, we don’t support extra-Constitutional measures.”
“We want this country to move forward. We’ve had a great year economically, a year of leadership in the region in terms of your ASEAN Meetings, other meetings. These are things you want to focus on,” she said.
Kenney said it was fortunate that the standoff was resolved “safely, quickly and with great professionalism exhibited by the Philippine Police and the Philippine Armed Forces.”
“Fortunately, the hotel, a great hotel has opened again. I look forward to going there myself… I’m delighted that it’s over and we can go back to business as usual,” she said.
Asked for her thoughts on the way the media that covered the event was later handled by police, Kenney said: “That’s a difficult one for me to answer because it is hard to know exactly how to do that. It’s a tough balance between law and authority, making sure you arrest the right people, making sure you have people safe, and of course, the media’s desire to convey information.”
She said she is leaving it to the authorities to sort these things out.
Pressed for her views on the handcuffing of the journalists, the lady envoy said: “You know, I’m not a law enforcement authority so I just couldn7t speak to that in the slightest. Sorry, I don’t know what the appropriate techniques are.”
She said it was just fortunate that “there was no loss of life and the property that was destroyed by the selfish actions of a few has been restored.”
Kenney assured that the Philippines and the US will remain “friends for life” despite the what happened./DMS
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