MARIKINA City 1st district Rep. Marcy Teodoro yesterday said that 6,000 to 7,000 Marikenos are dependent on the shoe industry as a source of livelihood.
Teodoro made the statement when he toured the historic Shoe Museum in P. Rizal St.
Teodoro said that Malacanang donated 381 pairs of shoes of former first lady Imelda R. Marcos, some of which were locally made and others from foreign brands.
Teodoro added that the shoes worn by former presidents Manuel Luis Quezon and Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, Sr. are also displayed in the museum.
“If you buy a pair of shoes from Marikina, you are helping three to four people in the shoe-making industry,” Teodoro said.
The lawmaker stressed that the tools and materials in the shoe-making industry were used and preserved by Marikenos themselves who are Filipino-Chinese by blood.
The historic Marikina Shoe Museum, which was formerly known as the Marikina Footwear Museum, was opened on Feb. 16, 2001.
