August 21, 2009
The Editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer today succinctly marked the ripeness of time which the country is experiencing at this point: the resurgence of the spirit of democracy. “The assassination of former Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. 26 years ago today led us, by sometimes bizarre twists and unprecedented turns, and in a mere thousand days, to the presidency of his widow, Corazon Aquino. Now, in an amazing historical coincidence, Cory’s slow death and extraordinary funeral earlier this month have led the country back to rediscover Ninoy the hero.” Sen. Noynoy Aquino, fast becoming a more colorful character since the death of his mother, stated the call to action: have faith in democracy. "My parents have genuine faith in democracy. They believe the key to democracy is stability of consensus in place of oppression. Now it is our turn to secure the democracy they [my parents] fought for. Alone I am weak but together we are strong. The ball is now in our hands. Ituloy natin ang laban [Let us continue the fight]!" he told the people as he flashed the familiar "L" sign for "laban" (fight), which his mother, the late president Corazon Aquino had used in her own campaign against the dictator Ferdinand Marcos more than 20 years ago. We at Tenks Mike Blog had a friendly discussion about how history will judge our friend as a defender of democracy. On one hand, he was at the forefront of the fight against Martial Law and oppressive regimes during his youth. Yet, his association with and dedication to the present administration undoubtedly raised doubts about his ideology and commitment to democracy – doubts which are mostly knee-jerk reactions if we are allowed to say so. One of us recalled how Alleba Politics applauded Mike when he conceded defeat in the Senatorial Elections 2007. It said, “Yesterday (May 30, 2007), the administrator’s top defender former Chief of Staff Mike Defensor conceded defeat in the yet unconcluded midterm Senatorial race. According to Defensor, he did so in order “to ease tension” and to discourage his supporters (and in essence Team Unity [TU]) from committing “acts inimical to the essence of democracy and fair play in an electoral battle.” I have not seen Defensor in a positive light since he started to be Arroyo’s staunchest defender. But today, I applaud him. He gave me a renewed faith on Filipino politicians. I know what he did is hard. He has, after all, been in public service for a long time. I can only hope that the wisdom that made him concede can also be influence those who wish to commit what Defensor wants to avoid. Furthermore, I hope that the same wisdom makes Defensor realize that he is not on the losing side. Rather, he lost because he is on the wrong side. This momentary (I think) rest from public service should make him realize that in the end, a true public servant serves the public and their interests, and nobody else’s. For now, I applaud him.” While we may not agree with all of the statements above, we share his conclusion that indeed Mike Defensor has the heart of a true public servant. After four hours of interesting discussion, we decided that we can never tell how history will judge our friend. However, we would like to open a discussion about the matter online to provide a forum for those who have any opinion - strong or weak, for or against - about the matter. Let us know what you think.
(Salamat, by The Dawn)
Mike has always been dear to us since we were kids. He’s a good friend who came running when we needed him. Mike was the go-to guy even before he became Cong. Mike, and then Sec. Defensor. Many of us knew he was destined for public service. Mike was the consummate politician, a trait he developed since grade school. We thought he would go on to become president, if he didn’t disappoint the fickle Filipino public.But it seems he has. So much so that he is vilified by the media at every opportunity. His actions are always placed within the perspective of his relationship with an unpopular president. Justifiable, though harsh.
So we set up this blog. Some of us have worked with him and have seen him make what we thought were good decisions. But some of us were also there when we thought he made wrong ones. But that is how a man is made -- by the choices he makes.As his friends, the best we can do is stand by him and try to help everyone else see things from a different light.
On the campaign trail, the mayor running for re-election walks up to a house of his campaign adviser and rings the doorbell. When a small boy opens the door, the mayor introduces himself, “Hello there, little boy! What’s your name?”
“Little Johnny,” replies the small boy.
“Well, Little Johnny, I’m Mayor Hoffman. I’m running for re-election. Can I speak to your father?”
“He’s in the shower right now,” answers Little Johnny with a giggle.
“Oh! Well, is your mother in the house too?” asks Mayor Hoffman.
“Yes, she is. But she’s in the shower with my daddy,” replies Little Johnny with a snicker.
“Oh I see,” says Mayor Hoffman who pauses a moment thinking of what to say next. Then he smiles and says, “Little Johnny, can you go see if they are through now? I would like to speak to either one of them. It’s important.”
“I don’t think so,” replies Little Johnny with a big laugh.
Surprised to see the boy laughing heartily, the perplexed mayor demands, “What’s so funny, son? Is there something wrong with your parents?”
“Well, when my daddy asked for the Vaseline while they’re in the shower, I handed him the Super Glue.”
