MANILA, Philippines – Former Department of Education undersecretary Juan Miguel “Mike” Luz died on Thursday, September 21, at the age 65, his daughter“Papa was a teacher by trade, an artist at heart, and an adventurer in his soul. In his own quiet way, he did his best for his country but he was also just a guy who liked podcasts, travel, and the occasional donut,” Bunny Luz said in a Facebook post.
Tributes were posted on social media by former students, mentees, and colleagues, who used the words educator, innovator, disruptor, artist, mentor, boss, friend, and family to describe Mike Luz. “My greatest regret now is that the education reforms we have worked hard to put in place may not survive given this Administration’s preoccupation with political expediency rather than genuine reform; with deal-making rather than development; as well as the lack of appreciation, much less commitment, to the rule of law and good governance,” Luz said in his resignation letter addressed to then-president Arroyo.