FOR years, the people of Marikina City were told a story that Rep. Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro of the first district of this city was different. Marcy, a former mayor, was publicly projected as a humble public servant, who tended to be bookish, soft-spoken guy, who lived simply, worked quietly, and kept his hands clean. He was projected as the “mabait at malinis” na mayor – a politician, who somehow rose above the much ballyhooed dirt of politics.
But myths don’t last forever. Recently, inside the Senate, that carefully tended image began to collapse.
Under oath, contractors Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya and wife Sarah painted a picture starkly different from Marcy’s reputation. They testified that Bell Construction, owned by a certain Elmer de Leon, was more than a contractor. It functioned as collector of kickbacks during Marcy’s erstwhile stint as mayor of Marikina. The alleged cut? An outrageous 18% of project costs, carved directly out of public funds, it was said.
The Discayas did not deal in speculation; they cited their own contracts. From 2022 to 2025, their projects in Marikina’s 1st district summed almost P200 million. By their sworn account, about P35 million was funneled elsewhere.
In that light, the “good guy” projection begins to look less like truth and more like political put-on. The humble image collapsed under testimony that suggested Marikina City’s public works became lucrative opportunities for a privileged few while citizens were left with broken dikes and ghost projects.
The de Leons’ role adds to the controversy. Publicly associated with Bell Construction, they enjoy a lifestyle of mansions, pieces of U.S. property, racing stables, and luxury car brands, even as Marikina City struggles with recurring floods. Their son, Loel De Leon, was handpicked by Mayor Maan Teodoro as a temporary city councilor in 2025, despite being an active contractor – a conflict of interest issue that was too glaring to ignore.
What emerges is a troubling web of influence and conspiracy against the people of Marikina City. In the Senate and in the public eye, names keep intertwining: the Teodoros as political heads, the Discayas as contractors, and the de Leons as alleged collectors. Together, they have formed not a portrait of clean governance but of a system where politics, business, and privilege overlapped at the people’s expense.
The people of Marikina City deserve leaders, who deliver safe streets and working flood control, not fairy tales about simplicity while insiders flaunt luxury.
The myth of Marcy Teodoro’s spotless image may have carried him far. But with sworn testimonies now on record, the question is no longer whether that image holds, but how much longer Marikina City can afford to be governed by it.
