Vico Sotto begins final term, vows not to run in 2028

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June 30, 2025 | 6:54pm

MANILA, Philippines — Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto took his oath for a third and final term on Monday, June 30, and made one thing clear in his speech: he is not running for any national position in the 2028 elections.

The 36-year-old mayor, now on his last term, also shared that political operatives once offered him over a billion pesos in support — if he played by traditional rules of patronage politics.

In a speech during his oath-taking ceremony at the temporary Pasig City Hall, Sotto stood firm on his commitment to stay away from “old-style” governance and to focus on reforms until the end of his term.

“Ngayon pa lang sinasabi ko na sa inyo: 2028, hindi ako tatakbo,” Sotto said during his inauguration. “Kaya malaya akong gawin kung anong tingin ko ang tama.”

(Let me tell you this now: in 2028, I will not run. That’s why I am free to do what I believe is right.

Landslide win

Sotto's third term comes after a landslide electoral victory against businesswoman and first-time voter Sarah Discaya, who ran on a platform centered on transforming Pasig into a "smart city" with increased infrastructure spending.

Discaya is also the Chief Financial Officer of St. Gerrard Construction and Development Corporation — a Pasig-based firm that has previously been blacklisted by the Department of Public Works and Highways. The company was also suspended twice by the DPWH, including once for allegedly submitting a fake Bureau of Internal Revenue tax clearance.

The firm also had its projects in Barangay Bambang suspended by Sotto for lack of building permits and violating the terms of one of their approved permits.

Discaya’s husband previously said they were “provoked” to enter the Pasig mayoral race after Sotto revealed that their company was being investigated for alleged fraud, misrepresentation, contract anomalies, and the use of substandard materials.

Allegations of massive campaign spending

The young mayor recounted his experience in 2019 when, at age 29, in his first campaign for the city's mayoral race, he was told he couldn’t win without spending massive amounts of money to build a network of local leaders and those who could secure his votes.

He said a group of seasoned political operators approached him, suggesting that a sure victory would require up to ?1 billion, allegedly for grassroots organizing, not vote-buying — though it closely resembled it.

“I computed it. Per barangay, per purok, per street. The total reached over a billion pesos,” Sotto said in Filipino. “Saan ka naman kukuha ng ganung kalaking pera?” (Where would you get money of that amount?)

When told they could handle the supposed "fundraising," Sotto said he walked away from the offer.

The 2025 campaign was no different, he said. Sotto said he was informed that his rival in the mayoral race was prepared to spend ?2 billion to ?4 billion.

"And little by little, we saw that it seemed to be true," the re-electionist Pasig City mayor said, without naming anyone specifically.

He said "they were willing to spend huge amounts, willing to destroy, willing to spread fake news and disinformation, willing to pay off media, willing to do anything just to bring us back to the old ways."

"But in the end, the people of Pasig saw that what would prevail is truth and decency," he added.

An analysis by The Nerve published on Rappler in April found a coordinated network of inauthentic accounts that were pushing content in support of Discaya while targeting Sotto with negative campaigning.

Call for unity, but with accountability

In his address, Sotto expressed willingness to work with his political opponents, but made clear that accountability for past wrongdoings must still be pursued.

"We extend a hand of peace, we extend a hand of unity. If possible, let’s work together for the betterment of our city — but there must be accountability for the crimes that were committed," Sotto said in Filipino. "The billions of pesos in taxes you owe to the national and local government — pay them."

"My condition is simple," he added. "They just need to fix their problems with the BIR and business taxes with the local government."

Legacy. Sotto’s final term as mayor runs until 2028 — which would mark the end of a tenure that began in 2019 when he first defeated the Eusebio clan that had ruled the city for 27 years.