{"id":97777,"date":"2017-04-10T19:48:49","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T23:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=97777"},"modified":"2017-04-10T19:48:49","modified_gmt":"2017-04-10T23:48:49","slug":"denr-chief-apologizes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/04\/10\/denr-chief-apologizes\/","title":{"rendered":"DENR chief apologizes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Lopez<\/a>
Lopez released the statement after BusinessWorld said an exchange over mining ensued this week between her and this paper’s reporter Janina Lim who was with a colleague at the time. (Photo: Gina Lopez\/ Facebook<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA \u2013Environment chief Gina Lopez publicly apologized Monday (April 10) for negative feelings her environmental protection and social justice crusade may have caused some people.<\/p>\n

“I understand and can feel the angst my repartee has had on many and acknowledge that in my effort to impart my perspective, I was inordinately judgmental,” she said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Lopez released the statement after BusinessWorld said an exchange over mining ensued this week between her and this paper’s reporter Janina Lim who was with a colleague at the time.<\/p>\n

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) action against alleged erring mining companies nationwide is among issues Lopez is facing.<\/p>\n

Mining is also a central issue in Commission on Appointments hearings regarding her possible confirmation as DENR head.<\/p>\n

According to Business World, Lopez suggested during the exchange that reporters scrutinizing her mining directives – which mining companies and various sectors continue opposing – are “already being bought by greed and selfishness.”<\/p>\n

Lim denied the allegation, said Business World.<\/p>\n

Business World said its editor-in-chief Roby Alampay assured the paper is standing by Lim’s dignity and idealism.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unfortunate, and we are dismayed, that a public servant would attack and malign the integrity of a journalist who is simply doing her job,\u201d BusinessWorld also quoted Alampay as saying.<\/p>\n

Lopez noted despite explaining need for DENR to addressirresponsible mining and its ills, she found Lim’s line of questioning “decidedly technical even if the situation merits some kind of compassion.”<\/p>\n

The DENR chief said she already recognizes everyone has the right to be what they want to be, however.<\/p>\n

“I have no right to put them down for whatever so to Janina and everyone, this might have hurt \u2026 I apologize deeply,” she said in her statement.<\/p>\n

Lopez clarified her repartee with Lim isn’t a “judgment on Business World or the media or journalists.”<\/p>\n

She noted the repartee isn’t also a judgment on any line of inquiry.<\/p>\n

“I’m in favor of questioning,” she said. “It’s healthy. That’s how we move forward. It’s when questioning comes from an already closed mind that is counter-productive.”<\/p>\n

Lopez, a media heiress, assured she has “much sincere affection and respect for economists, journalists and the press.”<\/p>\n

She urged such parties to “keep the light shining brightly for our country” and help the Philippines move forward.<\/p>\n

“There are so many journalists and economists with deep intuitive minds, objectivity with integrity, compassion with vision \u2013 that kind of standard will bring the country forward,” she said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA \u2013Environment chief Gina Lopez publicly apologized Monday (April 10) for negative feelings her environmental protection and social justice crusade …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":97778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1145,16,95],"tags":[6422,3598,17775],"class_list":["post-97777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headline","category-news","category-news-ph","tag-apologizes","tag-denr","tag-denr-chie-gina-lopez","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}