The President of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, held a private working lunch on October 29th with journalist Maribel Vilaplana at the El Ventorro restaurant in Valencia, the day on which the DANA severely affected the province. During the meeting, Mazón offered Vilaplana the direction of the Valencian public radiotelevision À Punt, a proposal that, according to sources of the autonomic administration and reports from El Españolwas finally declined by the journalist. In response to certain rumors, Mazón categorically denied that the meeting was a birthday celebration and assured that it was a professional meeting. Presidency sources detailed that this “private working lunch” was aimed at discussing the possibility of Vilaplana joining the À Punt project, in a context of confidentiality due to the journalist’s current professional situation.
The meeting, which began at 15.00 hours, is part of a series of meetings of the president with professionals in the communications sector to promote the new project of À Punt. The decision not to communicate the content of the meeting was based on reasons of privacy and respect for Vilaplana’s career in the audiovisual sector, according to the Presidency.
Parallel DANA management
According to the Presidency, Mazón received constant updates on the evolution of the DANA from the beginning of the meeting until its end at 18.00 hours, at which time he went to the Palau de la Generalitat to continue managing the situation. Later, after learning of the risk of a rupture of the Forata dam, the president moved to the command center in La Eliana at around 7:00 p.m. to directly supervise the development of the operations. In view of the controversy generated by this meeting, the Presidency stressed that Mazón will give a detailed report on the management of the DANA next Thursday in Les Corts.
