Did you know that Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor and former Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista go way back?

Here's a photo of the two astute politicians during their days as youth leaders and so-called “street parliamentarians” in the early 1990s:

It's via this deep personal knowledge and connection that Defensor is predicting that his pal Bautista will become an asset to the Senate, which the latter is aspiring to secure a seat from in the upcoming May 9 polls.

“We are absolutely confident that once he is in the Senate, Herbert can contribute practical solutions to many of our country’s problems via highly responsive remedial legislation,” he said.

“Herbert has an outstanding record as a dependable and hardworking public servant. He will definitely be able to help out even more people once he becomes a senator,” added Defensor, who is vying for the Quezon City mayoralty seat in the elections.

The two are running for office under the UniTeam tandem of president candidate, former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and vice presidential bet Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte,

Defensor said he expects Bautista to champion the youth and local governments once he is elected to the Senate.

“Herbert is loved by everybody. Here in Quezon City, we are counting on our 1.4 million voters to give Herbert the final push that will assure him of a Senate seat,” said Defensor, who noted that "Bistek" managed to enter the so-called “Magic 12” or winners' circle in the Senate race based on the results of the Pulse Asia survey last March 14.

Bautista is a former three-term mayor and a former three-term vice mayor of Quezon City.