Teodoro Casiño
A steadfast leftist activist and congressman who became a persistent voice for Philippine national sovereignty and social justice.
Born 1968 (age 58)·Filipino politician and activist·Birthday: November 15·Generation X
Biography
Teodoro 'Teddy' Casiño has built a life at the barricades of Philippine activism. Emerging from the student movement during the turbulent years of the Marcos dictatorship, he never left the fight. His career seamlessly blends journalism, grassroots organizing, and parliamentary politics. As a writer and editor, he used the press to critique power. As a three-term congressman for the Bayan Muna party-list, he brought the demands of farmers, workers, and the urban poor directly into the halls of Congress, authoring bills on land reform, national industrialization, and human rights. Even after his congressional tenure, his role as chair of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), a major progressive alliance, keeps him at the forefront of mobilizing public dissent against policies he views as exploitative or imperialist, making him a constant and polarizing figure in the nation's political landscape.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Teodoro was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Teodoro Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Teodoro's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a three-term Party-List Representative in the Philippine House of Representatives for Bayan Muna.
- Authored and co-authored significant legislative bills focusing on agrarian reform, human rights, and anti-corruption.
- Currently serves as the National Chairperson of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), a leading progressive alliance.
- Was a prominent journalist and editor for progressive publications like *Pinoy Weekly* and *Bulatlat*.
Did You Know?
He was a student activist at the University of the Philippines Diliman during the Marcos regime.
Casiño is a published author, having written books on Philippine politics and society.
He has been a vocal critic of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States.
His political career has involved multiple electoral bids for both the House and the Senate.
“The struggle for the people's welfare continues inside and outside the halls of Congress.”
