After brushes with media, Cabinet to attend seminar

(Updated 10:55 p.m.) Members of the Cabinet of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III are set to attend a seminar on how to properly deal with the media. "We want to engage the people. The best way is through you (media), and [we want to] communicate what those plans are, and the time frames," President Aquino said in an ambush interview Monday at the Villamor Airbase where he attended the 63rd anniversary of the Philippine Air Force. He said the seminar would be beneficial especially to Cabinet members who are new in the government. President Aquino’s announcement came a few days after his spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, had a heated exchange with some Palace reporters over the delayed conduct of a press briefing. In another incident, Secretary Armin Luistro of the Department of Education (DepEd) told the media they were not being helpful by asking too many questions about the controversial sex education issue.
Pnoy apologizes President Aquino apologized on behalf of them. “Humihingi tayo ng patawad. Hindi nga naman nila (alam pa), especially [in] Bro. Armin’s case. Nasa academe siya, ang kausap niya kadalasan ay puro students, kapwa niya academicians. Yun ang mundo (niya)," he said. (I want to apologize on behalf of them, especially in Bro. Armin’s case. He is not used to talking with the media. He is from the academe where he talked mostly to students and other academicians.) “Hindi naman siguro normal sa sinumang tao na haharap [ay] knowledgeable on everything all the time (I don’t think it’s normal for anyone to face the public and be knowledgeable on everything all the time)," Aquino added. Luistro, in an interview aired over GMA News' "24 Oras" Monday, also apologized to the media. "Ang sinabi ko pasensiya na kayo. Yung lumabas . . . hindi naman yun ang intensiyon ko," he said. (I told them please understand that I can't comment yet. But what came out was different. It was never my intention to insult them.) Apology accepted, but . . . While reporters covering the DepEd beat accepted Luistro's apology, they advised him to remain open to criticism. "Tanggap namin ang public apology ni Secretary pero di yan assurance na magiging compromised ang grupo sa kanya (We accept his public apology but it is not an assurance we will compromise with him)," said DepEd Press Corps president Hannibal Talete. But Lacierda said in a separate interview that the President had wanted his Cabinet members to undergo media relations training even before these recent events happened. "First Cabinet [meeting] pa lang sinabi na niya 'all of you will be undergoing media seminar, it helped me during my campaign as senator running for president.' So talagang naka-table na, sinabi na sa 'min noon pa (It has been scheduled early on, he told us about it before)," Lacierda told Malacañang reporters. Lacierda said the seminar would be conducted by batches, with each batch composed of three Cabinet secretaries. Lacierda, who will be part of the first batch on Wednesday, said he has yet to be informed on who will conduct the seminar. Understand us Another member of the Aquino Cabinet, meanwhile, asked for the public's understanding for the early misunderstandings, saying it is still on a "learning curve." In a radio interview, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon "Dinkee" Soliman said most of them are still making adjustments in their new posts. "Ito ay adjustment period po sa inyong katungkulan at bahagi ng learning curve ng ating bagong may katungkulan bilang lingkod bayan (We are still adjusting and going up the learning curve as public servants)," Soliman said in an interview on dwIZ radio.— with Jerrie Abella/KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV