Mike Defensor’s many controversies, 2006-2026

Mike Defensor’s first controversy was in July 2006. As president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s chief of staff, he co-signed the award to ZTE Int’l Corp. of goldmining rights in Mt. Diwalwal, Davao.

Aliens are banned from mining. ZTE Int’l was a newly formed adjunct of China telecoms giant ZTE Corp. A “greedy group” was then brokering the $329-million national broadband network, overpriced by $200 million or P10 billion.

Separate inquiries ensued at the Senate and House of Reps. The initial $10-million payola to Malacañang was exposed, along with a P200-million bribe offer to a Cabinet member. Aside from Defensor, three more Cabinet men were implicated. Arroyo had to cancel both the Diwalwal and broadband deals.

Defensor was secretary of environment and natural resources from August 2004 to February 2006. He was accused of conflict of interest in promoting a powerful congressman’s Nihao Mineral Resources Int’l and Geograce Resources. After Arroyo’s term, Defensor emerged as founder and majority owner in 2012 of Majestic Earth Core Ventures and in 2014 of Pax Libera Mining.

During Noynoy Aquino’s presidency, Majestic came to operate the largest of 15 rock quarries in San Rafael, Rodriguez (Montalban), Rizal. It is blamed for yearly deadly floods in Greater Manila. Majestic also owns a quarry and crushing plant in Calbayog, Western Samar.

Early in Rody Duterte’s term, April 2017, DENR secretary Gina Lopez helicoptered over Rodriguez quarries. She presented to lawmakers and newsmen videos and photos of a 200-hectare gaping hole in the mountainside. The quarry was illegal because it is inside the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape. DENR secretary Angel Alcala had in fact declared the area starting 1993 a no-touch zone.

Guess who quarried that mountainside?

Defensor and fellow party-list congressman Rodante Marcoleta teamed up in 2020 to quash the franchise and close down media giant ABS-CBN. Thousands lost jobs at the height of pandemic. Politicos Manny Villar and Martin Romualdez took over the franchise and facilities, respectively.

In January 2025, Defensor and two businessmen donated P75 million to Congressman Marcoleta. Comelec is investigating the nondisclosure of the contribution by both donors and donee. The ombudsman was to file this week plunder and bribery charges against them. Plunder is nonbailable and merits life term.

Defensor was behind the pop-up in September 2025 of ex-soldier Orly Guteza, who claimed to have delivered suitcases of cash to former boss Rep. Zaldy Co and Speaker Martin Romualdez. Guteza then vanished.

PNA Photo

Defensor in February 2026 came up with 18 more ex-soldiers, mostly dishonorably discharged for going AWOL. They too claimed to have delivered suitcases of cash to Romualdez, President Bongbong Marcos and Congressman-son Sandro Marcos. Also to Sens. Loren Legarda and Mark Villar, ex-senator Sonny Trillanes and others.

The 18 later exonerated Legarda and Villar, but implicated Sen. Chiz Escudero. They refused to submit to the ombudsman individual instead of joint affidavit.

Last June 15, Defensor, not a senator, announced a hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee in a private events place the next day. No senator attended. Only four of 14 more ex-soldiers showed up to implicate more officials unsympathetic to Defensor, Marcoleta and impeached VP Sara Duterte.

Previous to that, Apr. 21, NBI raided Chicago KTV Bar and Bleu Hotel in Pasig City operated by Defensor and wife Julie Rose. Rescued were 55 trafficked women, mostly foreigners. Arrested were several managers and supervisors. Strewn in bathroom sinks and trashcans were used condoms, lubricants and pregnancy test kits.

For two months the NBI scrutinized construction blueprints and corporate documents. It found out that concrete walls separating the ground floor KTV bar gave way to mere curtain dividers and stairways up to two office halls on the second floor. The two halls were modified into six bedrooms with baths.

The NBI concluded that Mike and spouse owned and controlled the bar and hotel as chairman, president and supermajority stockholders of interlocking corporations. Chicago KTV and Bleu Hotel are lessors of Cliffpoint Development Corp. Other stockholders are Pax Libera Mining, Zerrin Corp. and 5Mikes Corp.

Aside from spouses Defensor, offspring Michaela Defensor as corporate secretary and Miguel as treasurer are majority owners.

Last Friday, the NBI filed qualified human trafficking raps against Defensor, spouse, two offspring and two directors.

Human trafficking under RA 9208 includes prostitution, illegal recruitment, exploitation, coercion, fraud, deception, abuse of power or position or taking advantage of the vulnerable. “Most of the 55 rescued women are single mothers,” NBI Director Melvin Matibag said.

“Qualified” means syndicated, making the offense nonbailable with life term.

Branding the charges as politically motivated, Defensor said a Cabinet member and a senator are stockholders of Cliffpoint Development. “Huwag kayo maniwala kay Matibag dahil ‘yan ay bobo, tanga.” He posted on Facebook a photo of BBM holding a pug with Matibag’s face superimposed on the head.

Matibag dared Defensor to name the Cabinet man and senator, so the NBI can charge them too.

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