MANILA, Philippines – As the 2025 elections draw near, voters often seek insight into candidates beyond their policies and platforms. One revealing way to understand their perspectives and personality? Their favorite books.
On the sidelines of the “Kape, Kandidato, Komunidad” election forum at Rustic Mornings by Isabelo Garden on Sunday, February 9, Rappler asked Marikina candidates about their top pick book.
Stella Quimbo: Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
Marikina mayoral candidate and incumbent Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo, an economist by profession, unsurprisingly gravitates toward a book about economy. Her pick was Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner.
“It explains terribly complicated economics principles into simple ones,” Stella said.
Prior to joining politics, Stella spent most of her career teaching at the University of the Philippines where she also served as department chair of the School of Economics.
In 2016, she was appointed as commissioner of the Philippine Competition Commission, a post she held until her resignation in 2019 to run as representative of Marikina in the lower chamber.
Koko Pimentel: The Great Economists by Linda Yueh
Senator Koko Pimentel, who is now running for Marikina 1st District Representative, shares a similar interest in economics.
He shared that one of the latest books he read was The Great Economists by Linda Yueh, which delves into the ideas of influential thinkers such as Karl Marx and Milton Friedman.
Pimentel majored in mathematics at the Ateneo de Manila University where he graduated in 1985. He earned his law degree from the University of the Philippines in 1990, and topped the Bar examination in 1991.
Miro Quimbo: Love in Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
Unlike Stella and Pimentel, former Marikina 2nd District Representative candidate Miro Quimbo leans toward Latin American literature. His favorites? Gabriel García Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera and Isabel Allende’s Eva Luna.
Miro said that he has an affinity for Latin American literature because of its resemblance to the Philippines. He also loved the magic realism of these novels.
But beyond literary appreciation, Quimbo admitted these books played a more personal role in his life.
“It also served as my gateway to courting Stella (his wife),” Miro quipped.
This article features only the candidates who attended the election forum. Rappler also invited other candidates, including mayoral candidate and incumbent congresswoman Maan Teodoro, but she declined to participate. We will update this piece once we receive their top book picks. – Rappler.com