The Energy Development Corporation, through one of its officials, has apologized to the Dumaguete media for the poor handling of a press conference last week that led to the walkout from the activity dominated by their national counterparts.

The walkout became viral on social media sites like Facebook and also hit the local and national print and broadcast news and online news sites.

In an email sent to the Dumaguete media Monday, John Arnaldo, EDC’s vice president for Corporate Affairs, “acknowledged the unwarranted experience that happened during the Press Briefing” with Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla of the Department of Energy and Richard Tantoco, EDC president and chief operations officer Friday.

The press conference was held after the inauguration of EDC’s newest geothermal power plant, the 40MW plant in Sitio Nasuji, Barangay Puhagan in Valencia, Negros Oriental, where Petilla was the guest of honor and speaker.

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 also report nationally and internationally, left the venue halfway through the conference when they could not ask questions as national media were engaging Petilla and Tantoco in what appeared to be a monopolized briefing.

He also thanked some Dumaguete media, who accommodated another opportunity after lunch to interview Petilla and Tantoco.

Other local reporters declined and left immediately while describing the after lunch interview as “consuelo de bobo” or an act of consolation for an oversight.

Arnaldo promised to avoid a repeat of this in the future.

While some Dumaguete media said on Monday evening that they accept the apology, they have learned their lessons well and will be more cautious in the future, especially when covering EDC, and on what they still believe was “preferential treatment” for national media.*JFP

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