Former National Security Adviser Retired Gen. Jose Almonte during his interview at Get It Straight with Daniel Razon. (UNTV News)
MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino’s approval and trust ratings dropped to the lowest since 2010 because of the bloody encounter in Mamasapano last January 25.
However, there is still hope that the public’s perception on the administration could change despite the criticisms against the President.
This is the view of former National Security Adviser Retired Gen. Jose Almonte.
In an interview with the program “Get it Straight with Daniel Razon” on Wednesday, Almonte said it will be more acceptable to the public if President Aquino himself will relate the true events before and after the January 25 Mamasapano encounter.
“Confront the truth, accept the truth, and tell the truth if he committed a mistake, tell the people he committed a mistake, that is how we can draw strength for his moral capability,” he said.
Almonte said it is a challenge to the leadership of President Aquino to determine who are responsible for the incident, admit his own errors, actions he has taken and actions he withheld with respect to the operation.
Almonte added that if the President will do this, it will restore the trust of the public on the moral capability of the President.
The government will also be able to take measures and steps to rectify the errors and made this an example so that this will not be repeated in the next administrations.
Almonte is optimistic that this will be more acceptable to the public than the President not telling the truth about his participation in the operation of PNP Special Action Force which was aimed at the capture of high value targets Marwan and Usman.
“If he cannot tell the truth, I would say let the people decide,” Almonte added.
Aside from being a cabinet member of former president Fidel V. Ramos in the National Security Council, Almonte was director of the Economic Intelligence and Investigation Bureau during the tenure of former president Corazon Aquino.
He is also considered as one of the main advisers of Reform the Armed Forces Movement or RAM – the military group that rebelled against the regime of Ferdinand Marcos, which gave way to the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. (Victor Cosare / UNTV News)