I had a very early morning meeting today and I had the chance to take a rather relaxing drive around Quezon City. You know it’s election season when tarpaulins of numerous local officials are plastered all over the metro. One tarpaulin caught my eye – it was the tarp of the former Chief-of-staff of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: Mike Defensor. The main message of his tarp was to go out to register and vote. I made a few calls to a couple of friends and asked around and apparently Mike is rumored to be gunning for the Mayorship of Quezon City.
In all honesty, this guy used to be one of my idols. When he was in congress, he represented the brand of politics that I admire: young, passionate, and non-traditional. More of heart than wallet. However, when he became PGMA’s COS, everything changed. He was like a horse with blinders on, defending the President from all the issues thrown her way despite the evidence saying otherwise. As a result, Mike lost in the recent Senatorial elections. No amount of Boy Abunda PR can save you from that.
In 2010, it’s looking like a face-off between Mike Defensor and Herbert Bautista. It will be an interesting match-up and I can’t wait how the communication campaigns of both these candidates will be like.
By the way, I’ll be writing about the insanely numerous tarpaulins of Joy Belmonte in a separate article. Watch out for that one.
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I share the same sentiments reg. Mike Defensor during his stint in Congress. I actually liked him over Chiz Escudero (whom I thought was all talk and no substance – admittedly, I still do).
Sayang siya, actually. He would’ve won a seat in the Senate had he not been overly associated with GMA. I’m pretty sure that loss was devastating and equally humbling. With the time off, I hope he was able to learn something from the whole experience. I’m willing to give him a second chance, cause I believe that he can still do some good. If there’s one thing to be said about those who’ve experience bitter defeats, its that those people are more driven and inspired to do some good if only to gain a semblance of the dignity and integrity they once had.
With that said, if he runs against Bistek, I will vote for him. I truly believe that he will do a better job than Herbert. I just don’t see Bistek as Mayor material – Vice, yes; Mayor, no. And from what I’ve heard from friends in city hall, he’s notoriously lazy. So yeah.. my vote goes to Mike. I only hope that he won’t make me regret my decision.
And about Joy Belmonte.. I’ve seen her posters with Bistek all over the city. One question though.. since it was mentioned in the PDI this morning that she was joining LP, does that mean that she’s running as Mike’s vice-mayor? Herbert’s in Lakas and Defensor has been a member of LP ever since he entered politics. Interesting turn of events..
Really? I never knew Defensor was with LP. Maybe Bistek will also jump ship and join the Liberal Party? I see Mike running with the administration more than LP though.
But I agree with you on the point that this guy is brilliant, probably just got lost along the way. Yes, he deserves a second chance but I don’t know if it should be as QC Mayor.
Care to share some stories on what you’ve heard from your friends in QC hall regarding Bistek?
Mike Defensor used to be an LP member with Antienza wing. He’s been trying to get back thinking that he’d get Noynoy’s backing as official LP candidate for QC Mayor. But now that Bistek is moving to LP together with Belmonte, the LP closes the door for Defensor.
Former Sentosa nurses will always remember Mike Defensor as the Malacanang official who sold out his kababayan nurses in favor of an abusive foreign employer. Remember the phone calls he made to ConGen Rebong of New York and to then POEA Administrator Baldoz? We do! And those phone calls resulted in the immediate lifting of the preventive suspension order of Sentosa Recruitment Agency. To all Quezon City voters, you deserve somebody better than Defensor. And to all Quezon City nurses, remember your colleagues, the former Sentosa nurses, and heed their appeal: DO NOT VOTE FOR MIKE DEFENSOR!!!
come on Defensor? he talk to much but no credibility at all.. i remember kung pano sya lumabas during hello garci na nagpainvestigate dw sya? come on he’s a shit… his face is shit. kung ganyan ang mgiging mayor ng Q.C., mgiging shit din ito.. sorry but i hate this guy.. chiz is better than this friend of his..
I would vote for Bistek as he has proven enough to be the next QC Mayor. He should have been the Mayor way back before if he was not cheated.
Mike Defensor talks too much and if he is going to be the next Mayor, I do not know what will happen to QC.
What about Mel Mathay?
Nakakaawa ang Q.C. pag si MIKE DEFENSOR ang nanalo…gusto ko lang malaman nyo kung gaano kalaking halaga ang pinamimigay ng mga DEFENSOR… nung unang patawag P3,000 each sabi ko ok.yung sumunod P5,000 each bigla akong kinabahan…. paano kung sya ang mananalo saan nya babawiin yung mga pinakawalan nyang pera… at marami pang sumunod na patawag… yung iba naki-ride kasi sayang ang pera… pero deep down inside they will not vote for him… marami pa akong alam tungkol sa kaniya… kaya if i were you pag may patawag sya join na kayo para malaman nyo kung gaano sya kawalanghiya…tanungin nyo ang mga barangay officials… they know…
FYI: I am related to Mike Defensor.
We’ve based our campaign on the issue of TRACK RECORD. Mike Defensor is known to be an efficient manager who delivers on his programs (pinakamaraming nabigyan ng pabahay as the Housing Secretary, pinakamaraming natanggalan ng logging permits as the DENR Secretary, nabuksan ang NAIA Terminal 3 in four months -which was previously closed for ten years, at napagana muli ang mga tren sa Philippine National Railways -kung saan wala siyang sweldo at malaki ang natipid ng gobyerno).
Si Pres. GMA ay non-issue na dahil pa-alis na siya sa pwesto, at si Mike naman ay nasa private sector for the past three years. Kung sabik siya sa kapangyarihan at impluwensiya, eh di dapat tinanggap niya yung mga ina-alok sa kanyang mga posisyon sa gobyerno pagkatapos ng one year ban after the 2007 elections.
Let’s not get into black propaganda and insinuations that are not backed-up by evidence. Nasaan ang ebidensya na bumibili ng boto si Mike? Ang alam kong may ebidensya ay ang “fuzzy math” ni Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista.
Let’s know the various candidates platforms so we can responsibly vote and protect our country’s future.
Thank you.
@ paulo lopez… if you are really related to him..you know what im talkin about.. so please cut the fuckin crap…kamusta na nga pala yung mga pinamigay nyong cell phones + sim card sa mga SK.(sangguniang kabataan)..nakaka shock ba.? ahaha.. alam ko lahat ang kilos nyo… at sinong may sabing ala akong ebidensya ako mismo nakatanggap ng dirty money na galing kay MIKE DEFENSOR..why dont you ask the BO…Nakakaawa ka…isa ka sa mga anay na sumisira sa lipunan…for what.. sa kakarampot na pera na binibigay sau.. HABAG…
Is plastering illegal tarpolin all over Payatas an indication of someone who wants the office no matter the cost? There is a law saying no signs yet all the candidates have completely made the land of the dumpsite a thousand times more trashy then before. I have fought off attacks by trucks armed with ladders and signs. Does anyone like these signs? The funny thing is, the people putting them up never come to Payatas or they may give a bag of groceries once a year as a friendly bribe. Don’t people realize that none of these guys are working for them. Defensor is the chief offender of trash, Susanno, as I was told by her assistant doesn’t return phone calls, Bautista’s cousin who is a counselor tells me the waiting shed I have been requesting for two years might take two more years indicating the lack of interest or impotence of Bautista’s power. Barangay Captain Dadulo says there is no money for a shed and then errects a bamboo fence a KM long that immediately becomes a filthy eyesore. Then the trucks are crashing into it all over the place and she keeps replacing it. Got any other candidates?
All I know is that Mike Defensor has ZERO credibility, and that he has sold his soul to money, power, and greed. In the words of Jun Lozada “Moderate Your Greed” I keep hearing him say “what has Herbert Done”? The one thing I know that Mike Defensor has done…Is that He is a liar and in the true sense of not caring…He should be everyones idol! Wala siyang pakialam sa iyo, so if you do vote for him or he manages to cheat his way to become Mayor…God will need to intervene because if you don’t know what hell is like…watch and see what he will do.
i believe in mike defensor. let’s not judge him. and fyi if he’s giving out money or any material things it’s because he has enough money to spend. maybe listen to the different propagandas of the mayoralty candidates so you can analyze who’s the real crap. open your minds and don’t just stick to what is there let’s give a chance to those who wanted to serve better.
para sa akin deserving si mike defensor maging Mayor ng Q.C.,,, kaya lang maraming ng mga palpak sa lalo na sa mga Headquarters nya …. dami mga nagpapalapad ng papel…ang iba pa masusungit!!! parang ganyan din ang nangyari nuong huling tumakbo sya bilang senador..sayang marami sana mga nais bumoto sa kanya, kaya kung sakaling hindi sya mananalo sa darating eleksyon ang tanging dapat sisihin ang mga tao nya na walang ginagawa kung di magpalamig lang sa loob ng aircon nilang opisina.
I Believe in Mike Defesor last Sunday April 26, 2010 i went to the Meeting of mike and lahat g sinabi nya is true. wala namn talagang nagagawa si BISTEK kc ang project lang naman sa quezo city is the WECOME SIGN lang Lahat
May 3, 2010(3:10pm)
Ok sana si Bistek sa pagka Mayor kaso nasa partido siya ni Mayor Sonny Belmonte na maraming pinahirapan ang mga negosyante sa QC. Sobra at talamak ang corruption at wala takot sa diyos at taong bayan para bang may consent ni Mayor. marami pa ako isisiwalat kung magrereply kayo sa Email ko. in short, kay Mike defensor na ako baka sakali mai-tuwid ang pangigipit sa pamumuno ng dating pamahalaan(Belmonte).
The Mike Defensor I am familiar with was the young QC councilor, way back when he was still courting the current Mrs. Mike Defensor. Yes, I personally knew Julie Rose Tactacan and I also know where her grandmother and aunt reside in NGI in Parang Marikina.
I’ve met him way back and he was a still nice guy. He was down to earth and really srtaightforward, the kind of guy who was genuinely concerned with helping people out.But that was way back then. Years rolled by, and he has transformed into the quintessential “trapo” which he used to hate, and much worse, the “clean-up boy” and number one defender of the most hated Philippine president in history.
I shook hands with him in one of his campaign sorties in QC ( that was before he lost to Bistek ) and he didn’t even remember me, his smile was plastered on his face and as fake as a tupperware baon-container. I am a nobody, but there was a time when he would shake hands with me, offer me a pack of smokes and ask if I had seen Julie around her Aunt’s house.