Rodolfo B. Valentino

Rodolfo B. Valentino Sr. was a Filipino dentist and politician who served as the mayor of Marikina from 1988 to 1992. He previously held the role as an officer-in-charge, following the People Power Revolution in 1986. Valentino's mayoralty was characterized by efforts to revitalize the local shoe industry. He lost re-election in 1992 to Bayani Fernando.

Life and career Valentino was born to a shoemaking family in Marikina. He is a dentist by profession. Following the 1986 People Power Revolution that saw the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos from office, his successor, President Corazon Aquino, appointed Valentino as an officer-in-charge of Marikina. He would be elected in his own right in 1988. However, he lost re-election in 1992 to Bayani Fernando.

In this capacity, Valentino sought to revive the fortunes of the Marikina shoe industry. During his tenure, he travelled to various countries, including China, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Vietnam. In Düsseldorf, he was able to get a substantial order for ladies' shoes, which was filled by Figlia Shoes, a local consortium led by Joey Enriquez. He went with Trade Secretary Jose Concepcion on a trade mission to Moscow in 1989. On his second trip to Moscow the following year, he was offered a contract to supply one million pairs, which Vietnam, a fellow socialist country, could not fulfill. But the Russians could pay only in rubles. In his trip to Wuhan in China, Valentino explored the possibility og using rubles for raw materials.

Valentino took the risks of dealing with a socialist country. He had to deal not with businessmen but with government functionaries. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, it was clear on his third visit to Moscow that his agreement with the communist regime could not be implemented.

Following his death, Valentino was laid to rest at the Loyola Memorial Park.