HANOI?Be careful what you tweet lest you twit someone.

This was the lesson that presidential speechwriter Carmen Mislang, a member of President Aquino?s delegation to Vietnam, has apparently learned after posting a Twitter message supposedly saying that the wine served at a dinner hosted by Vietnamese officials for Aquino and his party ?sucks.?

Online surfers claimed to have read another tweet from Mislang to the effect that crossing Hanoi?s motorbike-infested streets is an ?easy way? to die.

Communications Group Secretary Ricky Carandang on Friday came to Mislang?s defense and said the issue about her Twitter messages about Vietnam was a minor one, and a closed book.

Carandang said Mislang, who has since deleted the messages, meant no offense and was apologetic. She had been told to be more circumspect about what she would post on her Twitter account.

Carandang also said Mislang?s tweets were ?pretty harmless,? although they might be also ?potentially embarrassing.?

Facebook and Twitter have since been abuzz with reactions to Mislang?s tweets.

A tweet is a text-based post of up to 140 characters on the microblogging site Twitter.

A minor issue

Aquino, in Vietnam for a state visit and to attend the Asean summit conferences, has heaped praises on the host country, lauding its agricultural system and its people?s unity and love of country. He has also marveled at the many similarities between the Philippines and Vietnam.

?Mai Mislang is one of the hardest-working people in our office,? Carandang told reporters. ?She?s trusted by the President. This is just a minor issue, so I don?t think it?s going to become anything more. As far as we?re concerned, that?s over, that?s gone now and she?s being more careful now.?

More careful now

Asked if Mislang was apologetic, he said, ?absolutely.?

?She had no offense meant to anybody. It was something spontaneous. We talked about it and we?re all being more careful now about tweeting,? Carandang added.

?Remember that for a lot of our staff, government is new to many of us. Sometimes we don?t realize we?re under a public spotlight.?

As to whether there would be a public apology from Mislang, Carandang answered in the negative.

?No, we?ve already fixed it, tapos na yan (that?s over), it?s a closed book,? he said.

Noynoy informed

Aquino has been informed about the issue, and Carandang told him that he would talk to Mislang.

Carandang said other government officials had also been told to be careful about their Twitter messages, even if it could be argued that posting there is done during private time.

?We?ve told our people, not just Mai, whether they like it or not they?re government employees. They should be more circumspect even in private time,? Carandang said.

He said the issue had not had any serious repercussions.

?So far, there have been no implications,? he said.

Carandang said Mislang would complete the remainder of Aquino?s visit.

?She?s a necessary component of this trip. We all need her on board,? he said.

Asked about his experiences on the streets of Hanoi, Carandang said the motorcycles are scary because they move fast. But he noted that they avoid pedestrians and that one gets used to crossing the street after a while.

No member of the Philippine delegation has met with an accident in Hanoi, he said.