Error-prone Palace spokesman gets tips on dealing with media

Drop hints without spilling the beans. Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda received this "tip" from a colleague on how to deal with the media after preempting a major Palace announcement twice in one month. Lacierda earned the ire of Palace reporters twice in July after making major Palace announcements over a private media outfit instead of revealing it first to them. Presidential Communications Group official Herminio Coloma said Monday said Lacierda can drop hints about major announcements without actually spilling the beans. Coloma added that there should be a "level playing field" in media outfits' coverage of the Palace beat. Coloma said the Communications Group will have to meet again to fine-tune its procedures following Lacierda's latest boo-boo. On Friday, Lacierda announced on ABS-CBN's dzMM radio Memorandum Circular 2, which extended to October 31 the terms of non-career service eligible officials. Weeks earlier, he delayed a briefing with Palace reporters but made an announcement also on the matter of non-CESO officials on ABS-CBN's cable news channel ANC. Coloma said he was also interviewed on the matter of the non-CESO officials' fate Thursday night, when Memorandum Circular (MC) Number 2 was issued. However, since there was no official announcement at the time, he merely gave the "context" of the issue without mentioning MC No. 2. "Nagbigay ako ng context or background without touching on the memorandum circular itself para di magkaroon ng ganito (I merely gave the context or background of the issue without touching on the memorandum circular itself, so I will not preempt the memorandum circular)," Coloma said in an interview on dzXL radio. "Ang gagawin namin ngayon talagang lilinawin lahat na procedures na ito para hindi maulit ang ganyang pangyayari (We will have to clarify our procedures so this will not happen again)," he said. "Kung merong nauunang bigyan magkakaroon ng unfair advantage at hindi ito tama sa relasyon ng Malacañang sa Press Corps. Dapat level playing field at mapapakita lang ito kung maayos ang pagbibigay ng mensahe kung walang pinapaboran at walang inuuna (If one media outfit has first crack at stories, it is an unfair advantage and it is simply not right especially in our dealings with the Press Corps. The playing field must be level and we must show we do not favor anyone)," he said. "Ang ginawa ko lang, dahil di pa ina-announce officially nagbigay lang ako ng paliwanag sa nagtatanong noong di pa yan lumalabas na ang prinsipyo ng gobyerno na ipagpatuloy ang public service na walang disruption. Pangalawa, binigyan naman ng direction ang mga heads of departments na meron silang discretion kung sino ang empleyadong covered ng Memorandum Circular 1 ang pwede i-appoint o bigyan ng final decision (Since at the time there was no official announcement, I explained the principle of government is to make sure its services continue without disruption. And I said heads of departments have discretion on the fates of employees covered by the first memorandum circular)," he said. Lacierda, who was already notorious during the election campaign for quarreling with critics and journalists, has already apologized for the supposed lapses. He has also undergone a seminar on dealing with the media. – VVP, GMANews.TV