Chapter 1
Introduction and Background
Introduction
Heroes arise in moments of all lost hope. People expect a hero to rise from a great
disaster and fill them with a new sense of hope. Heroes have been depended on for centuries to
keep others out of pain and suffering. They are normal people that never give up, and never
regret doing what they believe is right. Their actions are unselfish and they put the importance of
others before themselves.
There is no hero that was ever known for being a coward. Yes, all heroes do have a
cowardly side, but the people do not remember that side of the hero they admire. Its having the
courage to do what is right that makes a hero stand out, it is a quality that every hero has
supernatural or not. This cherished trait is what lets a person enter a situation of many dangers
and obstacles.
A hero is a man or a woman whose life is dedicated to the creation and/or defense of
rational values. A hero could be anyone. A teacher is a hero for she teaches the youth, a coach is
a hero for he trains and develops the players to achieve unity and teamwork. Parents are heroes
too, cultivating and molding their children and ministers are also heroes, cultivating our spirits. A
heros life is an unbroken series of actions taken in accordance with his own principles in the
teeth of any obstacle with which nature or man confronts him. Because he displays such virtue in
action against concerted opposition, the hero embodies nobility of character, spiritual grandeur
and the greatness of soul. He may fail in his specific value quest, he may be shot in the back or
die, but his principled uncompromised devotion to the good represents victory in, at least, a
moral sense. Their life serves as an inspiration for others.
Throughout time heroes have always set the standard of what real people should strive to be, but
can never seem to grasp. A hero is special, their bravery, ability to overcome opposition, and end
the pain and sorrow of others makes them the noblest of character. A heros bravery can be
explained in many ways. Heroes that are portrayed in myths and folktales sometimes have a flaw
that keeps them more believable
Biography
Teodoro Teddy Casio is a Filipino partylist representative of the Lower House for
Bayan Muna in the 15th Congress of the Philippines. The 44-year-old Teddy Casio has authored
several laws including the Public Attorneys Act of 2007 (R.A. 9406), the Tax Relief Act of 2009
(R.A. 9504) to name a few.
Casio is also considered as one of the most prolific writer and a regular contributor of
the Philippine Daily Inquirer through Youngblood column from 1994-1996. He became a regular
columnist for Business World and wrote columns for the tabloids Peoples Bagong Taliba and
Frontpage, the OFW Weekly Pinoy Gazette and the online magazine [Link].
The political activist was brought about by a devout Catholic family and originally he
wanted to become a priest. He also gave up his dreams of becoming a lawyer and pursued his
full time job in the labor movement.
Teddy lives a simple life with his wife Ruth Garcia Cervantes, herself a former CEGP
President and human rights advocate now taking up law at the San Beda College. They have two
sons, Elian (9) and Emilio (4).
The Congressman is one of the most recommended senatorial candidates especially for
the highly-technical Filipinos. One of his platform is to pass the Free and Open Source Software
Act.
Teddy was born in Davao City on November 15, 1968 and is the third of five children of
Atty. Amador C. Casio of Lucena, Quezon and Lizabelle I. Acevedo of Kalibo, Aklan. He has
four siblings: Fr. Peter OSA, Audie, Shana and Ria.
Education
Born to middle class parents, Casino finished elementary education at the De La Salle
University (DLSU) in 1982. He continued his high school studies at La Salle Green Hills, where
his stint as a volunteer for the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) in the 1986
snap elections swept him into the politics of People Power via the EDSA Revolution.
The EDSA experience, plus the stories about hunger in Negros, moved him to forego a DLSU
scholarship to study agriculture in UP Los Baos, where he became an activist in his freshman
year. He became editor in chief of the student paper, The UPLB Perspective, from 19891991
even as he consistently made it to the honor roll?
In 1991, Casino was elected national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines
(CEGP), an alliance of over 700 student publications nationwide. He chose to delay his thesis
requirement to work full-time for the CEGP. He eventually graduated from UPLB with the
degree of BA Sociology in 1993, with his thesis bringing him to faraway Pamplona town in
Cagayan Valley, where he studied the impact of Church activism on rural communities.
In November 2002, Teddy married Ruth Garcia Cervantes, herself a former CEGP president and
human rights advocate now taking up law at the San Beda College. They have two sons, Elian
and Emilio.
Teddy's family is his main source of strength and inspiration. The future of his two sons is what
keeps him striving for a better kind of politics and a truly just and democratic government and
society.
Achievements and Distinctions:
Member, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)
Secretary General, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) (1991)
President, College Editors Guild of the Phils. (1991)
Most Outstanding Congressman, Congress Magazine (2008)
UPLB Most Distinguished Alumni for Extension (2002)
4th most prolific congressman in the 15th Congress (178 authored and 376 co-authored
measures)
Progressive legislator and advocate of new politics
As a Bayan Muna congressman since 2004, Teddy is proof that integrity, righteousness,
competence, patriotism and compassion for the poor and oppressed still has a place in the
political mainstream.
Teddy has proven his mettle as a progressive legislator, spearheading the fight
against corruption and government abuse and pushing for fundamental reforms in the areas of
good governance and people empowerment, justice and human rights, educational reform,
economic nationalism, the protection of the national patrimony and the environment, and the
appropriate use of information and communications technology. He has figured prominently in
the impeachment complaints against Pres. Macapagal-Arroyo as well as in various House
investigations on the anomalies hounding the present administration.
In 2008, he was accorded the distinction as Most Outstanding Congressman
during the annual Congress Magazine awards.
For Teddy, public service is a public trust. In his six years in Congress, he has never
figured in any scandal or anomaly. He has maintained his simple lifestyle and has never used his
position to enrich himself, his relatives or his friends. He is, in fact, on record as being the
second poorest member of the House.
Given the chance, Teddy vows to continue bringing the issues and concerns of the
common tao into the halls of the Senate.
Professional Excellence
In the May 2004 elections, Casino was elected as Bayan Muna's representative in Congress. With
the re-election of Bayan Muna in the 2007 partylist polls, he returned to Congress.
In the 15th Congress, Casino became the chairman of the Committee on Small Business and
Entrepreneurship Development, where he champions the welfare of our micro, small and
medium enterprises. As chairperson of the Committee, Casino also spearheads Buy Pinoy, Build
Pinoy! - a grassroots campaign promoting the consumption of Filipino-made products and the
development of integrated, world-class Filipino industries.
He is also senior vice chairperson of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education,
safeguarding the youth's right to affordable and quality education.
Authored Laws and Bills
Casino is the one of the principal authors of four laws that have benefited the poor and
marginalized sectors, namely:
1. The Public Attorneys Act of 2007 (R.A. 9406) which strengthened the Public Attorneys
Office and expanded its free legal services to poor litigants;
2. The Tax Relief Act of 2009 (R.A. 9504) which exempts minimum wage earners from
withholding taxes;
3. The Rent Control Act of 2009 (R.A. 9653) which put a cap on rent for low-income
earners;
4. The Anti-Torture Act of 2009 (R.A. 9745) which penalizes torture.
Aside from this, he has authored a total of 178 authored and 376 co-authored measures, making
him the 4th most prolific congressman in the 15th Congress.
Bills
Casino's main advocacy is the lowering of prices of electricity, oil and water as well as regulation
of the cost of education, healthcare, mobile communications, toll fees and other basic utilities
and services. Towards this end, he has filed bills on:
1. The removal of VAT on power (HB 2719), oil (HB 1630) and toll fees (HB 5303)
2. The regulation of oil prices (HB 4355), mobile phone services (HB 5653), tuition fees
(HB 1961) and interest rates (HB 4917).
He has consistently opposed the budget cuts in our state colleges and universities as well as the
privatization of our public hospitals and water districts.
As a relentless fighter of corruption and government abuse, Casino is also the principal author of
1. The Whistleblowers Protection and Rewards Bill (HB 132),
2. The Freedom of Information Bill (HB 133), the Anti-Dynasty Bill (HB 3413)
3. The House version of the Anti-Epal Bill (HB 2309).
Activism
After his stint in the student movement, Teddy joined the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU - May First
Movement). His childhood ambition and his father's wishes for him to become a lawyer gave
way to his activism. In 1996, he entered the UP College of Law only to leave it three days later
when it interfered with his work in the KMU.
After four years in the KMU, he joined the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), the largest
alliance of progressive people's organizations in the country. He was elected secretary general in
1999 and was catapulted to national prominence in 2001 as one of the youngest leaders of EDSA
2.
Casino was appointed commissioner of the EDSA People Power Commission but was removed
for constantly being critical of the current administration.[2] He had a short stint in ABSCBN's Hoy Gising and The Correspondents. In 2002, he was accorded the UPLB Distinguished
Alumni Award for Extension.
As a writer, Casino was a regular contributor to the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Youngblood
column from 1994-1996. In 1995, he became a regular columnist for Business World, one of the
most respected business newspapers in the country. He also wrote columns for the
tabloids People's Bagong Taliba and Frontpage, the OFW weekly Pinoy Gazette and the online
magazine [Link].
