As the May 9 election draws near, reelectionist Marikina City Mayor Marcelino "Marcy" Teodoro focuses on house-to-house (H2H) campaigning in various barangays of the city.
"Sa ngayon, labing-isang araw na lang bago ang eleksyon kaya focus tayo doon sa pag house-to-house para makipag-usap tayo (As of now, it's only 11 days before the election, so we'll focus on house-to-house so we can communicate )," Teodoro said in a short interview with Marikina News Today on Wednesday, April 27.
On Wednesday, Teodoro and the rest of "Team Marcy" visited the residents of San Pascual Compound in Barangay Parang, Marikina City, where they received a warm welcome.
Aside from mingling with the people, they also distributed campaign paraphernalia such as calendars, fans, flyers, and tarpaulins.
Teodoro said he finds the H2H strategy "engaging and very enriching".
"Nakikilala mo 'yung mga tao, nalalaman mo 'yung mga kailangan nila. Ang pinakamahalaga ay 'yung napapakinggan natin kung ano 'yung mga sinasabi nila (We are able to meet the people, know about their needs. More importantly, we're able to listen to them)," Teodoro added.
Upon communicating with residents, Teodoro noted that the lack of livelihood opportunities and pervasive issues brought by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic are the consistent concerns that people wished to be addressed by the local government.
As a message to the citizens of Marikina City, the mayor encouraged voters to be informed and discerning in order to counter fake news.
"Mahalaga sa mga pagkakataon na ito na alam natin kung ano ang mga nangyayari, napapakinggan natin, nababalanse natin ang madaming impormasyon, at nakakapagpasya tayo ng tama. Iwasan natin ang fake news dahil ngayon madaming paninira. Madaming kayong bagay na maririnig na hindi totoo. Maging mapagmasid para matimbang natin nang maayos ang mga bagay-bagay (It is vital that we know what is happening , we listen, we are able to balance all the information we receive, and we are able to make the right choices. Let's avoid fake news because nowadays, there's a lot of mudslinging. You will hear many things that are untrue. Be discerning so we can weigh our options properly)," Teodoro said.
Team Marcy has been mostly utilizing H2H campaigning and motorcades since the local campaign period started on March 25.
They have not held any proclamation rallies as of yet.
Teodoro is seeking a third term as mayor of Marikina City in the 2022 elections. He won the mayoral race in 2016 and was re-elected in 2019.
Teodoro is running with his reelectionist Vice Mayor Marion Andres, and congressional candidate and Teodoro’s wife, Marjorie Ann “Maan” Teodoro.
Among the aspirant councilors in the team for District 1 are Sam “SF” Ferriol, Kate De Guzman, Manny “Tarangka” Sarmiento, Rommel Kambal Acuña, Cloyd Casimiro, Carl Africa, Joseph “Jojo” Banzon, and Serafin “Bojie” Bernardino.
Councilor candidates for District 2 are Loreto Tolentino, Hilario "Larry" Punzalan, Angelito "Angel" Nuñez, Donn Favis, Levy De Guzman, Marife Dayao, and Akiko Centeno.