Andronico Del Rosario
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto never ceases to amaze his constituents, Filipinos, and more recently, the United States of America.
In a move that surprised no one, Vico Sotto was declared one of the world’s Anticorruption Champions by the US State Department, an award he shared with 11 other politicians who have championed transparency.
The US State Department described Sotto as “a standard-bearer for a new generation of Philippine politicians who prioritize anticorruption and transparency initiatives in their election campaigns and in office.”
Some of his credentials that led to the award include freedom of information for all Pasig City residents without the need for justification, a measure he worked on as a city councilor.
He also championed transparency in governance by avoiding kickbacks in the awarding of city contracts, establishing a 24/7 public information and complaint hotline, and involving civil society groups in Pasig during budget and policy-making hearings.
He would also reduce any chance of bribery in city government contracts by reducing their value by at least 10%—alongside streaming the entire bidding process on Facebook.
Late to the party
The US state department may have only done this during recently-elected POTUS Joe Biden’s term, but Filipinos have known of Vico’s anticorruption stance since the beginning of the pandemic.
Pasig City was, after all, one of the more prepared LGUs for the pandemic.
A few days before the start of the almost year-long lockdown, Vico had already started routine disinfection of public facilities in his city.
He also had enough foresight to see how the government’s insistence on not having public transportation would affect the country’s pandemic response.
Vico went viral for proposing tricycles as a means of transport not just for healthcare workers, but for emergency services as well.
He would get a slap on the wrist from the IATF
He would get a slap on the wrist from the IATF for the proposal as well as a summons from the NBI, but he would immediately bounce back with a green solution: employing e-vehicles called COMETs as the city’s shuttle service for its healthcare workers.
Vico would also come to the aid of PUV drivers in his city by providing them with financial support—which came on top of what the IATF had asked the Department of Social Welfare and Development to distribute.
Vico would also pioneer a concept that has since been implemented by most LGUs who were at risk of spreading COVID-19: the mobile palengke.
This concept, which involved hiring trucks to act as roaming wet-and-dry markets, would be adopted within a few days by Valenzuela City. Other cities across the country would follow suit soon after.
Pasig City’s victory over COVID-19 would also be assured as Vico would again be proactive enough to strike a deal with UK-based pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the IATF to secure doses of COVID-19 vaccines for his constituents.
To top this feat off, his city would be the site where DOH would hold a simulation of its COVID-19 vaccination program.
Oh, and did we mention the myriad of nuggets Vico Sotto has given social media?
Between him “spoiling” the city’s Christmas surprise, launching an initiative to not only relieve public schools of being overcrowded but also reviving the city’s private schools, and him “bringing a panda” to work, Vico is possibly the most universally loved public official the country has ever seen.
He also said this when he appeared in a recent Alex Gonzaga vlog:
‘Pera ng taumbayan ’yun:’ Vico Sotto tells Alex Gonzaga why he shuns self-promotion https://t.co/skUPmEMiRS
— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) February 20, 2021
As for his award, Vico had this to say.
Thank you to the U.S. Department of State for this recognition.
But more than the recognition, I hope this helps raise awareness.
If we want better long-term governance, we need to fight corruption. We have to denormalize it, get it out of our culture. https://t.co/aeMUz3VFKd
— Vico Sotto (@VicoSotto) February 24, 2021
Before we end this appreciation post, because good things come to an end at some point, allow us to leave you with Vico’s latest social media golden nugget.
'BAKA DRAWINGAN LANG NG MGA BATA NG BIGOTE.'
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto said this in jest as he turned down self-promotion again regarding the city's distribution of learning materials to more than 5,000 daycare students.
MORE news and updates here: https://t.co/DzrWJksg70 pic.twitter.com/q9m9zZqdxl
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) February 24, 2021
That’s one mayor any Filipino would be proud to have.
