Gen Z's favorite political figure, Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, on Monday cast his vote seeking a second term after a campaign that saw him drop truth bombs on politics.
Among the 32-year-old's tweets on the road that went viral, politicians who spend big to buy votes would want to recover their expenses if elected. Criticized for the lack of Christmas decor in the city, he said people need food more than twinkling lights.
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Sotto's party, Aksyon Demokratiko, is supporting Isko Moreno's presidential bid. His uncle, Sen. Tito Sotto, is running for vice president alongside presidential bet Panfilo Lacson.
Refusing to give in to clamor from supporters, Sotto he would not endorse any candidate out of pressure, even if this meant being called a trapo or traditional politician. He told supporters to convince in a civilized manner instead.
Anti-corruption champion Sotto, who is challenged by incumbet vice mayor Iyo Bernardo for the mayorship, said he received reports of alleged vote-buying in the city. Sotto said any big money spent to secure votes comes from the pocket of candidates, and will have to be recouped somehow once elected.
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Clad in a blue Pasig City shirt, Sotto was accompanied by political officer Johnson Villaruel at Valle Verde 5 at around 2:30 p.m.
"Tuloy-tuloy lang ang pagbabago, hindi naman taalga madali magpakilala ng pagbabago. Masasabi natin malaki na yung napagtagumpayang natin," Sotto said.
"Maganda naman ang takbo so far, kahit naabutan tayo ng pandemya, of course there was the transition period in 2019, tapos in 2020 was the pandemic. Nag-ECQ tayo, parang 100 ECQ nadaanan natin, pero naging maayos naman ang mga project, programs tuloy-tuloy. The challenge is how to make it better in the next three years," he added.
Sotto also said time was spent on cleaning the system during the early days of his term. When asked if he was confident Pasig would vote for him Sotto said he was neither confident nor unconfident, and that he would await the results.
"We did our best especially when it comes to governance and in the campaign. Kung ano man ang magiging resulta, yun na yun," he said.
Should he win, Sotto will serve his second consecutive term as mayor.
Should he lose, he may return to teaching, as he was a professor at Arellano University for a semester before becoming Pasig City Mayor in 2019.