Author’s Note: Standard Web Standards has started a “blog mini-series” on the notable websites of Philippine elections candidates (For everyone’s information, Filipinos will be voting for national and local officials this coming May 14, 2007).

For me, Mike “Tol” Defensor is known primarily for two things in Philippine Politics: a) He’s an administration mouthpiece/whipping boy and b) He may have the best campaign website in this year’s senatorial race.

1. Design – The site’s look and feel is very solid and the header gets the point across.
2. Table-less – At last! A campaign site with little or no tables in sight!
3. Content – Mike Defensor’s web team did their homework– adequate focus on platform and personality.
4. Language Issues – I have some issues with the content’s mixing of articles in English and Filipino; very inconsistent.
5. Navigation -Straight-forward and simple, just what the doctor ordered.
6. Multimedia – The campaign media downloads are well executed and rendered nicely.
7. Interaction -Taking a page from the government’s playbook? The forum is a ultra-moderated Q&A page.

If I were to cast a vote SOLELY on the basis of the website, Mike Defensor gets my nod. The site is executed sharply with few rough edges, following a good blueprint of what a campaign website should be– adequate treatment of the personality and the platform.