Even in Korea, GMA kept distance from RP journalists

BUSAN, South Korea — Even outside the Philippines, President Arroyo declined to meet with Filipino journalists covering her and the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit that ended on Saturday.

At least 30 Philippine newspaper, radio, television and photojournalists and editors were deployed by their respective offices to cover the President’s activities at the APEC summit but she did not issue an official statement on her participation or face the reporters in what Malacañang calls "informal media interactions."

"The President’s schedule is very tight," was the curt response of Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye on the last day of the summit when members of the Philippine media delegation asked why Mrs. Arroyo had not issued any statements on APEC.

He said there was some "President’s time" but it was used for her "urgent personal activities."

Other heads of state of the 21-member APEC, including South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun, held press conferences before hundreds of local and foreign journalists who started flocking here since the first week of November.

Even Bunye had to be badgered to give a press briefing on Mrs. Arroyo’s statements before world leaders but was able to give very few details, prompting some reporters to speculate that Malacañang was "saving" the stories to present its own spin on this week’s events.

Bunye, however, admitted he was not able to attend most of the APEC proceedings which Mrs. Arroyo participated in and gave his standard reply to journalists’ queries: "I don’t have the details yet."

"As journalists, we are very much interested in the President’s activities. After all, she herself spoke of her aggressive Philippine engagement in the international arena," said Ferdie Maglalang, president of the Malacañang press corps.

The closest thing Philippine journalists got to hearing Mrs. Arroyo’s statements was her speech at the prestigious Kyung Sung University, where she was conferred an honorary doctorate of laws.