Vilma Resuma was Mike’s Third Grade teacher in Filipino at UPIS. Ms. Resuma currently heads the office of research and is also a Filipino teacher in the High School Department of UPIS; she is now 64 years old. I recently came across Ms. Resuma. I asked her if I can interview her about Mike for this blog. Here’s how the conversation went:
LC: Ma’am, teacher ka namin sa Filipino nung Grade 3 sa UPIS. Anong naalala nyo tungkol kay Mike nung panahon na yon?
VR: I remember him to be kiti-kiti. Malikot yang batang yan. But even at that early age, his capacity to lead was not lost on me. I recall he was a board leader in class and he was active in several school organizations back then.
LC: Kumusta naman siya sa klase?
VR: Mike has always been bright. He was good in class and he was very articulate and very active in recitation.
LC: Nagkikita pa ba kayo ni Mike?
VR: We last saw each other three years ago at the wake of a common friend. At hindi talaga siya nakakalimot.
LC: Ano naman po ang masasabi nyo tungkol kay Mike ngayon considering na kilala nyo na sya dati pa?
VR: Alam kong madami talagang kaibigan si Mike. When my co-teachers and I talk about him, there’s always a sense na sayang sya. Naaawa din kami kasi parang mali talaga dahil nagkaroon ng mis-association sa kanya kaya nag-iba ang tingin sa kanya ng mga tao.
LC: Kung magkikita po kayo, may gusto po ba kayong sabihin kay Mike?
VR: It is very sad that it has come to this. Kung makakausap ko lang siya, I would advise him to stay away from politics and concentrate on business. I’ve seen his potential and I know that he would be successful in channeling his energy and talent outside politics. I think most of us who know him from way back wish him well and at this point we would rather not see him in politics.
It is not surprising that people who know Mike personally would think he’d be better off staying away from politics. We know that Mike has been unfairly judged in public through mere association with the current administration, which let’s face it, is very unpopular. It’s just a shame that most of us rashly judge public figures by virtue of their political affiliations. We need to be more mature, in this regard. To recall, Mike was very popular as an opposition congressman during Estrada’s presidency. It’s not that he has changed; as a Cabinet secretary, he was doing his role to protect the institution of the presidency and our democratic government, but not the personalities in the government per se. How about we get past the politics of personality and wise up?
Read more!
By Rey Ramirez
As someone who has known Mike over three decades, I feel the urge to speak up for him at every opportunity, if only to parry the unwarranted blows he has taken over the past few years. It’s been a bitter turnaround of public perception for Mike. I still recall the time when he was greeted with cheers in his public appearances as an opposition congressman; at that time, people were rooting for him for sticking out his neck on popular issues of the day. The media extolled him as a politician of principle, and rightfully so, because for anyone who has really gotten to know him, Mike is without question someone who would stand up for what is right.
But while principled men comprise a mere few, principled men with great hearts are even fewer. Mike is part of this latter category. And while I admire this about Mike, his genuine desire to help out has regretfully become an easy target for those against the current government, to the detriment of his reputation. It is worth noting that in most of the accusations leveled against him, Mike’s sincere concern to offer a helping hand had been unfairly portrayed as an underhanded ploy to cover for the current administration.
In a bid to help Udong Mahusay in 2003, he was accused of trying to silence a witness of Senator Ping Lacson on corruption charges against Arroyo. Not a lot of people know that Udong’s brother Jojo has long worked as a driver for Mike; and it was in fact Jojo who requested Mike to intercede. Mike readily obliged after Udong relayed to Jojo that he feared for his life.
And again in 2008, meeting Jun Lozada under the watch of the La Salle brothers, Mike out of earnest concern for a former colleague who admitted having no cash at hand, gave P50,000. The gesture was hastily dismissed as an attempt at bribery. But if one stops and rationally thinks about it, a mere P50,000 cannot seriously be considered a bribe.
I understand that most people have become skeptical about any display of kindness these days. We live in a time when an act of kindness or generosity is met with suspicion, as if everyone has a hidden agenda of taking back the favor when the right time comes. And although cynics are sure to sneer at this—I can vouch for this: Mike had always been one to extend a helping hand.
When he was still a Quezon City councilor, people from his district would come to his house seeking help. I recall that his mom, Tita Florence, would always get frustrated upon looking for her grocery purchases and finding them gone, only to realize later that Mike had given them away to those in need of food. He was still single then and I know that his wife Julie, during their first years of marriage, also had to put up with these surprises.
One instance that truly defined the kind of person he is for me happened back when we were in Grade Six. One afternoon, we were studying in the library when one of the heavyset boys in class suddenly kicked our table--a classic case of a bully’s cry for help. Of course, I didn’t know that back then and I knew better than not to pick a fight with someone larger than I was. After all, what would our parents, who were very active in the PTA, do when they learn that we were sent to the office to their disgrace?
Mike stood up to this bully; even then, he knew he had to fight for what was right at the risk of our parent’s scolding (which was the worst thing imaginable for us at that time). I heard the bully say, “suntukan na lang,” to which Mike’s immediate reply was “oo ba.” I think it ended there—mere posturing. No face off ever occurred.
Later that school year, the same bully would accidentally knock off a flask in our science class. As per school policy, the student who breaks school property should pay for the damaged item. I guess Mike was precociously socially aware and knew that some of us were not as well off as others. I was surprised when he suggested that we pay for the broken flask. “Tulungan natin. Hati tayo.” I hesitated, of course, still recalling the incident in the library. But I guess his kindness got the better of me. We paid for the broken flask, 50/50, with our allowance. And the three of us became friends since then.
Mike and the bully would meet again as adults. Upon knowing that he was looking for a job, Mike hired this estranged classmate as his aide without hesitation. That’s the kind of person Mike is, and no matter what people have been saying about him, I’m proud to call him my friend.
By Jose Victor “Jay” Delas Alas
I have known Mike since our elementary days in UPIS. Even as early as those years, I had seen Mike as a great leader. Sumikat sya sa school nung tumakbo at nanalo sya sa student council. Pero kahit bago pa nun, madami na ang may kakilala sa kanya. Kasi sya yung tipong kahit kilala yung pamilya nya, kahit sino pwede nyang samahan. Pwede sya sa mga sosyal pwede din sya sa masa.
All out yan pagdating sa batch namin, mas lalo na sa mga alam nya na nangangailangan. Nung 20th high school reunion nga namin, gusto nya talagang magkasama sama kami lahat, considering na hindi naman sya graduate technically ng UPIS. Nung nalaman nya na hindi makakasama yung iba dahil nga may entrance fee yung event, sabi nya hindi tawagin nyo pa din sila, ako na muna ang sasagot ng entrance.
Kahit ako nung namatay yung tatay ko, hindi naman ako nanghihingi e, naglagay sya sa bulsa ko. Sabi ko ibigay na lang nya dun sa isang kaibigan namin na nangangailangan ng tulong dahil nagaagaw buhay yung tatay. Sabi nya, “Hindi, sa ‘yo yan.” Pinuntahan nya din yung isang kaibigan namin sa ospital, binigyan nya din. So, ganoon talaga syang klaseng kaibigan. Kaya nung sinabi ni Jun Lozada na walang wala talaga sya at nagbigay sya, talagang likas sa kanya yun, walang bahid na pamumulitika. Likas talaga sa kanya ang tumulong. In fact, sya yung tao na hindi mo na kailangang hingan, kapag nakita ka nyang nangangailangan, tutulong yan.
Pero, isa sa mga hindi ko makaklimutan talaga kay Mike e nung gumitna sya sa gulo namin nung fourth year high school ako. Hindi na sya taga-UPIS nun, bumalik sya pagkatapos nyang matapos ng high school sa states. It was a classic case ng rambol ng UP na tipong damay lahat at yung iba hindi na pumapasok dahil sa gulo. Natapos lang yun nang kinausap nya yung dalawang partido. Malakas talaga sya mangumbinsi. E kung sa grupo lang namin hindi na yon maaareglo, kung hindi sya lumapit. Naalala ko sabi nya, “Wala na kong hihingin sa yo, pare. Ayusin na natin ‘to.” Naayos naman. Ngayon nagkikita kita kaming mga taga dalawang partido, nagbibirubiruan tungkol doon sa gulo. Yun ang classic na kwentuhan namin pag nagkikita-kita kami.
Kaya hindi din ako nagtaka na kahit sa pulitika, si Mike yung tipong gumigitna para ayusin ang dalawang panig. Kahit nung nasa administration sya, he served as the channel between the government and former president Estrada. Nung nagkaroon ng kaguluhan sa Oakwood, siya ang kumausap sa mga Magdalo soldiers. Ganun talaga syang tao, kung makakatulong sya para magkasundo ang dalawang panig, gagawin nya. It’s unfortunate na nababahiran ng ibang kulay ang ginagawa nya. Putting things in perpective, he’s not the type who would do these things for political mileage. Hindi talaga sya ganung tao. People should note that he was even the first to concede his senate bid. In a political scene na pagnatalo sinasabi agad na dinaya, sya tinggap nya.
Alam din naman yata nya kasi na nag-iba ang tingin sa kanya ng tao. At sinabihan na din naming mga kaibigan nya nun na kung pwede wag na syang sumama sa administrasyon dahil baka mapasama pa ang tingin sa kanya ng tao dahil mainit ang mata ng mga tao sa gobyerno. But I think he saw it as an opportunity to help out. Now out of politics, he continues to be seen in a negative light, but I know ultimately and for those who know him, Mike will always be one of the most remarkable people in contemporary politics
The writer is a batch mate of Mike Defensor in UPIS. He is currently the officer in charge of operations at Berkman Systems Incorporated.
(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.”
