Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III is a proud "ninong" (godfather) to Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto.
The leader of the Upper Chamber took to social media to praise his nephew Vico who was recently recognized by the United States Department of State as one of its global "Anti-Corruption Champions", for "prioritizing anti-corruption and transparency in campaign and office."
"I knew it! My inaanak (godson) is destined for greater heights!" he posted on his Facebook account on Thursday, February 25.
Mayor Vico is a child of Sen. Sotto's younger brother, actor and host Vic Sotto and actress Coney Reyes.
On Wednesday, Sen. Sotto and Sen. Panfilo Lacson filed Senate Resolution No. 660, to honor and commend the 31-year-old mayor for the US State Department's recognition.
“This recognition by the US State Department bestowed upon Mayor Vico Sotto, the only Filipino public servant in the roster of honorees, meaningfully uplifts the morale and dignity of the Filipino people amid the challenging times of global pandemic,” the resolution, released to media on Friday, February 26, read.
Sotto and Lacson also noted of the young local executive’s "transformational brand of leadership" amid the coronavirus pandemic, which made Pasig City a role model among the country’s local government units.
The resolution also described the younger Sotto as "the standard bearer for the new breed of politicians who stands as the bright beacon of the land."
But in thanking the US State Department, the Pasig City chief executive said he hopes the recognition will help raise awareness against corruption.
"If we want better long-term governance, we need to fight corruption. We have to denormalize it, get it out of our culture," Mayor Vico said.