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When Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño was only in high school at La Salle Greenhills in 1986, he volunteered to join the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL). This put him right in the midst of all the political action going on during the days that led to the 1986 EDSA People Power. His experience at EDSA, plus the stories about hunger in Negros, moved him to forego a college scholarship to study agriculture in UP Los Banos. He became an activist on his freshman year, editor-in-chief of the student paper from 1989 to 1991 and a consistent honor student.

In 1991, he was elected national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), an alliance of over 700 student publications nationwide. On top of full time work for CEGP, Casiño was able to finish his university studies and get a degree in Sociology in 1993. From CEGP, he joined the workers’ organization, Kilusang Mayo Uno (May 1 Movement – KMU), for four years, then moved to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance – BAYAN), the largest alliance of progressive people’s organization in the country. He was elected secretary general in 1999 and became known in 2001 as one of the youngest leaders of EDSA Dos.

In 2004, he started to serve as Bayan Muna’s representative in Congress. During President Gloria Arroyo’s administration, Casiño figured prominently in the impeachment complaints against her, as well as in the different House investigations on the anomalies that hounded her administration.

He still sits in the 15th Congress as Bayan Muna’s party-list representative.

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