Pasig City Mayor Victor Ma. Regis “Vico” Sotto, one of PeopleAsia’s People of the Year 2021 awardees, continues to reap honors for the country and his constituents, as he has been named by US President Joe Biden’s administration as one its 12 global “anti-corruption champions.”
Sotto, son of local celebrities Vic Sotto and Coney Reyes, has earned the International Anticorruption Champions Award, a recognition launched recently by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to honor “individuals who have worked tirelessly, often in the face of adversity, to defend transparency, combat corruption and ensure accountability in their own countries.”
The award is also seen by many as America’s commitment in tackling global corruption, strengthening democratic ideals and reengaging with the rest of the world.
The 31-year-old mayor has been described as a standard-bearer for a new generation of Philippine politicians who prioritize anticorruption and transparency initiatives in their election campaigns and in office.
“The Biden administration recognizes that we will only be successful in combating these issues by working in concert with committed partners, including courageous individuals who champion anti-corruption efforts and countries working to fulfill their commitments to international anti-corruption standards,” Blinken said in a press statement released Tuesday.
“They (awardees) inspire us and so many of their counterparts pursuing these ideals around the world. The United States enforces one of the most robust anti-corruption frameworks in the world,” Blinken added.
Ever since he rose to national prominence by contesting the top post in Pasig, Sotto has served as an inspiration and a harbinger of hope for countless people. In a battle for the hearts and minds of Pasigueños that was deemed by observers as a classic David and Goliath story, Sotto eventually beat long-time mayor Bobby Eusebio in Pasig’s 2019 mayoral race.
“With little to no funds, Vico started a very organic campaign. Before he knew it, a number of people’s organizations have rallied behind him. The young public servant’s candidacy rode on the ‘Big V’s’ platform, which promotes universal healthcare, housing programs, education, public consultation and anti-corruption efforts,” writes PeopleAsia’s Jose Paolo dela Cruz in the magazine’s December 2020-January 2021 issue.
But the then new mayor didn’t see his political foes as the personal Goliaths he had to slay. At the end of the day, Vico viewed his position simply as a job, a battle to provide the city with a better future wherein the people ultimately got to decide.
“Vico thinks he is in office simply because people desired a more inclusive government. They no longer wanted to fear losing their benefits, should they decide to support someone else. The days of patronage politics, Vico says, has come to an end in his city,” Dela Cruz further writes.
His mettle as an out-of-the-box politician with unorthodox ideas was further put to the test with the onset of COVID-19 early last year. Vico passed the test with flying colors with no less than the Department of Health-Metro Manila Center for Health Development recognizing his administration’s efforts for improving the capacity of critical care facilities and acquiring equipment dedicated for patients affected with the highly infectious disease.
Sotto’s fellow awardees are India’s Anjali Bharadwaj, Albania’s Ardian Dvorani, Ecuador’s Diana Salaza, Micronesia’s Sophia Pretrick, Guatemala’s Juan Francisco Sandoval Alfaro, Guinea’s Ibrahima Kalil Gueye of Guinea, Iraq’s Dhuha A Mohammed, Kyrgyz Republic’s Bolot Temirov, Libya’s Mustafa Abdullah Sanalla, Sierra Leone’s Francis Ben Kaifala and Ukraine’s Ruslan Ryaboshapka.
