Rappler Talk: Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto on fighting corruption and disinformation

Vico Sotto has had the entire nation watching his relatively small city of Pasig, ever since he became its mayor in 2019. He came in as the fresh-faced, determined reformist who supplanted a dynasty that had ruled Pasig’s politics for three decades. It thrilled many Filipinos – not necessarily Pasigueños – when his administration, for instance, regularized more than half of City Hall employees, and imposed stringent checks on procurement processes.

But not everyone is applauding. The toughest opposition to Sotto’s reforms came from segments of his own bureaucracy – those that were benefitting from the old system of patronage and graft. As he prepares for his third and final run for mayor (the law limits mayors to three consecutive three-year terms), he carries baggage in the form of three lawsuits that accuse him either of graft or misplaced spending. He is besieged by a barrage of disinformation portraying him as a charlatan or a privileged politico detached from the realities his constituents face.

In this episode, Rappler senior producer and reporter JC Gotinga talks to Sotto about the cases and the disinformation, what changed from when he started to now, and how he envisions his future beyond Pasig City Hall. This hourlong conversation delves into Sotto’s views on Philippine politics, leadership, and maintaining integrity in a broken bureaucracy.

Watch the episode here on Friday, August 30. – Rappler.com

Presenter, producer: JC Gotinga
Videographers: Naoki Mengua, Errol Almario
Video editor: Emerald Hidalgo
Graphic artist: David Castuciano
Supervising producer: Beth Frondoso