My good friend Balma passed away this morning. I wrote this tribute to him, and I’m sharing it here for posterity. If you knew him, please leave a kind note here: http://bit.ly/migbalma — we hope his young son Milo will grow up reading these stories and know his father was a good man who touched so many lives.
February 2022: I was surprised to see Miguel Balmaceda on our Leni volunteers discord server. I didn’t know he had gone through the onboarding process. I sent him this message, concerned because two months before, he had announced his cancer diagnosis to the public. But there he was, “ready to contribute!” I assigned him to a task, then went on with the campaign period. I knew he was dependable in that way; hindi ko na kailangan problemahin. Siya na bahala.
May 7, 2022: the day of the Makati rally. Two days before election. Malaki yung responsibility ng team namin. So many boots on the ground. All hands on deck. Casually, I saw on Instagram that Balma and Siggy were spending the day in Sofitel with Milo. And yet, I could see him active on the team’s group chat: coordinating food deliveries, making sure our team got the supplies on time and seamlessly. Seryoso ba siya? No one would have batted an eyelash if he had just said “Sorry, di ako available.” But he showed up. That was Balma: always there when needed. Every single time.
Rewind 18 years to June 2004: I was a shy kid entering Ateneo, forcing myself to be sociable. I had a few friends I stuck to like glue that first sem, tagging along to their block inumans and barkada things. Balma was one of those. A solid friend who always made me feel welcome. Walang picture nun kasi di naman uso camera nun. But over those 4 years on campus, Balma would always greet me with a warm hug and sit on a bench with me to chat and catch up.
Fast forward to March 2008: I am pretty sure I gave Balma my blue rose. He and I talked about One Tree Hill often throughout the course of our friendship. If I remember right, siya daw si Mouth. Clearly, I was Haley; he always teased me about it. I was so happy when he ended up with Siggy Esguerra - Balmaceda – finally, someone who appreciated how wonderful he was! And she was also so great and so kind! A perfect match.
Over the years, Balma would check in on me, particularly about my love life. He would also send me shooky-grams (Milo’s greetings) for my birthday. We hardly saw each other after those first few years out of college, but it never felt like a friendship that had grown distant. He was always there when I needed something, quick to respond and offer his help. He even donated blood for my niece without telling me he was going to do it.
I wish I could have done more for him these last few years. I wish we had seen each other more often. I wish I wasn’t sick when Francis tried to donate blood, so I could have hugged Balma one last time. But I am grateful for 20+ years of friendship, and also that he met Francis while volunteering for Leni. Somehow it’s important to me that Balma knew I ended up with a good man, as he always wished for me.
These last 2 pictures seem like a good snapshot of our dynamic all these years: me, chattering away in his ear with much enthusiasm, and Balma listening patiently, tossing back a drink while laughing at my misadventures. Marami siyang bala sa aming lahat, in part because he was such a good listener. What I would give for one more hirit from him.
Balma, thank you for being one of the best guys I have ever known. Rest well now, no more pain. We’ll look after Siggy and Milo. Until we meet again, my friend.