Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto clarified on Thursday that he never slandered Vice Mayor Iyo Caruncho’s family.
“Bakit ‘family's reputation’... may sinabi ba ako tungkol sa pamilya niya? (Why ‘family's reputation’... did I say something about his family),” Sotto said in a Twitter post on Jan. 20.
Sotto posted the questions on Twitter in response to media reports that Bernardo had sought legal advice after the mayor allegedly spoke ill about Bernardo’s family.
On Jan. 18, Bernardo released a statement on the Pasig Dapat Pasiguenyo Facebook page, accusing Sotto of trying to taint Caruncho’s name.
“Kaya ako magsasalita ngayon ay para proteksyunan ang pangalang Caruncho na pilit mong dinudumihan (I am speaking out now in order to protect the Caruncho name that you are trying to besmirch),” Bernardo said.
“Noong nakaraang flag ceremony na sadya mong ginamit na lugar upang mangampanya sa pagkakasabi mo na tinext mo ako at mag confirm sa pagdalo. Ito ang telepono ko. Wala pong message o tawag si Mayor Vico Sotto (During the last flag ceremony which you used to campaign by saying that you tried to contact me, my phone did not receive any message or call from Mayor Vico Sotto),” Bernardo explained.
“Mayor Vico, parang palabas sa TV, alam mo ang formula para mapansin, sumikat, at pag-usapan (It’s like a TV show, you know the formula to get people’s attention and to get people talking),” he added.
The vice mayor was referring to Sotto’s claim that Bernardo had dodged attempts to contact him for his attendance in city meetings, including the Pasig City flag-raising ceremony on Jan. 10.