Stella Quimbo challenges Maan Teodoro for Marikina mayor

MANILA, Philippines — Rep. Stella Quimbo (Marikina City, 2nd District) has joined Marikina's mayoral race, formalizing her candidacy for what is set to be a high-stakes battle against a fellow House member and the wife of the popular Mayor Marcy Teodoro.

Quimbo filed her candidacy for Marikina City mayor on Tuesday, October 8, with former city mayor Del Reyes-De Guzman running as her vice mayor. 

Stella's husband, former lawmaker Miro Quimbo, earlier announced his wife's bid for the Marikina mayoralty. Miro filed his candidacy to run as Marikina's 2nd district representative on Monday, October 7.

Stella has served two consecutive terms as Marikina 2nd district representative after first being elected in 2019.

The lawmaker is set to face off against Rep. Marjorie Ann Teodoro (Marikina, 1st District), whose husband, Marcy, has been elected as city mayor thrice since 2016. 

Stella's legislative record has been that of a fiscalizer, scrutinizing budget line items and different agencies' utilization of funds. 

She  initially opposed the passage of the Maharlika Investment Fund before later supporting it. 

The lawmaker in 2023 also defended the legality of Vice President Sara Duterte's controversial acquisition of confidential funds the 2024. A year later, Stella pressed Duterte over the notice of disallowance issued by state auditors on the Office of the Vice President's use of secret funds. 

On Monday, Miro explained that he and Stella initially planned to take turns running in different elections so one could focus on their children and businesses. However, Miro said they haven't been able to implement many of their programs, such as building new schools, because the current Marikina city government has been blocking their efforts.