Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto clarified on Tuesday, March 15, concerns regarding the permitted venues for holding campaign-related activities within the city as he cited the local government’s strict adherence to its non-discriminatory policy towards national candidates.
In an interview with One News, Sotto addressed people’s queries on social media, asking to provide and approve of larger spaces to hold campaign rallies aside from the approved sites such as the Plaza Bonifacio and Plaza Rizal.
“Wala naman ‘pong ibang venue. Ang sikip po sa Pasig. Kung may ma-suggest po sila na ibang lugar na mas malaki, wala pong problema. Pero wala naman po talagang mas malaking area dito sa poblacion ng Pasig (There are no other venues. There are limited open spaces in Pasig. There’s no problem if they can suggest other bigger places. However, there are really no wide areas in the center of Pasig),” Sotto said.
Earlier on Sunday, March 13, the mayor said that conducting campaign-related events within the premises of the Pasig City hall is also prohibited.
Despite the restrictions in the available venues’ capacity, Sotto emphasized that the local government is willing to coordinate with campaign organizers in order to accommodate a large turn-out.
“Kung talaga pong madami po silang supporters at mag-overflow, maga-assist rin naman po ang ating TPMO sa traffic. Kung kailangan isara yung isang lane o ‘yung buong kalsada, wala pong problema (If they really have many supporters and there will be an overflow, our TPMO will assist in regards to traffic. There’s no problem if there is a need to close a lane or a whole street),” Sotto said.
The mayor made his speech in a flag raising ceremony on Feb. 28, welcoming all candidates to campaign in the city and giving opportunities for people to express their support.
“The reason why this is our policy is because hindi ko naman po pagmamay-ari ang Pasig City. Hindi po ito pagmamay-ari ng isang tao, isang grupo o even ng gobyerno. Ang Pasig po ay pagmamay-ari ng mga Pasigueño. Kaya kung sino ‘yung gusto nila makita, dapat nabibigyan sila ng pagkakataon. For me, the more candidates come into Pasig and make their voices and their presence heard and felt, the better for Pasigueños so that they can better choose when the elections come (The reason why this is our policy is because I don’t own Pasig City. The city is not owned by a single person, a single group, or even the government. Pasig is owned by the Pasigueño, the people who live here. They have to be given the opportunity to meet whoever they want to see. For me, the more candidates come to Pasig and make their voices and their presence heard and felt, the better for Pasigueños so that they can better choose when the elections come),” Sotto said.