EDC exec apologizes for ‘unfair’ presscon

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – The Energy Development Corporation, through one of its top officials, has apologized to the Dumaguete media for the poor handling of a press conference last week, which was dominated by national counterparts resulting in the walkout of local journalists midway of the activity.

The walkout became viral on social media sites like Facebook, while it also hit the print and broadcast news at the local and national levels as well as in online news sites.

John Arnaldo, EDC’s vice president for corporate affairs, in an email sent to the Dumaguete media Monday,  “acknowledged the unwarranted experience that happened during the Friday press briefing” with Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla and Richard Tantoco, EDC president and chief operations officer.

The press conference was held immediately after the inauguration of EDC’s newest geothermal power plant, the 40-megawatt plant at sitio Nasuji in Barangay Puhagan of Valencia town in Negros Oriental. Petilla was the guest of honor and speaker in that event.

Expressing his “sincerest apologies,” Arnaldo said the joint national and local media press briefing was organized as a practice to “treat all media guests with equal respect and attention” that they deserve.

Around 20 media practitioners, based in Dumaguete, some of whom are reporting nationally and internationally, left the venue halfway through the press conference after it became clear they could not ask any questions as national reporters were already engaging Petilla and Tantoco in a “monopolized briefing.”

Arnaldo, in his e-mail, said: “While we gave due respect to Secretary Petilla by not interrupting him as he was fully engaged in answering the questions asked of him, my team and I, acknowledged that we could have moderated the press briefing better to give others equal space to ask their questions.”

The EDC official also thanked some Dumaguete journalists who obliged for another opportunity after lunch to interview Petilla and Tantoco. Other local reporters declined and left immediately as there were deadlines to beat while describing the after lunch interview was only a consuelo de bobo or an act of consolation to atone the oversight.

Arnaldo promised to avoid a repeat of this in the future, saying, “you are all important to us and we strive to ensure that everyone is given fair treatment in the same manner that you have always given fair coverage of all issues and events related to our company.”

While some Dumaguete journalists on Monday evening said they accepted the apology, they have learned their lessons well and will be more cautious in the future, when covering EDC, especially with what they still believed was a “preferential treatment” for national media.

The walkout was however strongly condemned, especially by environmental groups lobbying against EDC’s expansion projects in Valencia, as they continued with their campaign to save Mt. Talinis, the last remaining frontier and a critical watershed in Negros Oriental.

These environmentalists have bucked the cutting of 576 trees for a road expansion project at the geothermal reserve in Valencia and have constantly criticized EDC for activities that “pose a threat” to the environment.