Incumbent Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto and Vice Mayor Dodot Jaworski filed their certificates of candidacy (COC) for reelection for the 2025 elections at the Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Pasig on Saturday, October 5.
Mayor Vico Sotto and Vice Mayor Dodot Jaworski filed their COC for reelection on Saturday, October 5. (Photos from Giting ng Pasig)
Sotto was accompanied by his parents, Vic Sotto and Coney Reyes. He is now running for his third term as city mayor.
The two filed for reelection to continue good governance in the city.
“Third term, ito na siguro yung masasabi nating exciting part, so we're really looking forward to the next three years at tuloy-tuloy lang sa trabaho (This is probably what we can call an exciting part, so we will continue to work hard),” Sotto said.
“Kasama si Mayor Vico Sotto, ipagpapatuloy natin ang mabuting pamamahala para sa mas maraming oportunidad sa ating mahal na lungsod (Together with Mayor Vico Sotto, we will continue good governance for more opportunities in our beloved city),” Jaworski said.
“Sa ating unang termino, itinatag natin ang Pag-Asa Scholarship program para tiyaking makakapag-aral ang bawat isa. Sa mga susunod na taon, lalo pa nating pagtitibayin ang pagiging business-friendly ng Pasig para sa mas marami at siguradong trabaho para sa bawat Pasigueño (In our first term, we established the Pag-Asa Scholarship program to ensure that everyone can pursue their education. In the coming years, we will further strengthen Pasig's business-friendly environment to create more and secure jobs for every Pasigueño),” he added.
Political Rivalry
In a media interview after their filing, Sotto said that they must remain cautious regarding the recent withdrawal of St. Timothy Construction Corporation (STCC), one of the local partners of Miru Systems (Miru) in the Automated Election System (AES) for the 2025 National and Local Elections joint venture.
According to him, the people behind STCC and St. Gerrard Construction, owned by Sarah Discaya, are the same. Discaya is reportedly expected to be Sotto's rival for the mayoral post in the 2025 polls.
He questioned their reason for running, saying they would only run because of him.
“Narinig n'yo naman po yung sinasabi niya eh [the husband of Discaya] na kaya raw sila ‘napilitang’ tumakbo dahil daw sa akin. Anong klaseng motibasyon ‘yun para pumasok sa politika (You've probably heard what he said that they were only 'forced' to run because of me. What kind of motivation is that to enter politics?)” Sotto stated.
On October 3, Sotto also mentioned that the two companies have a questionable track record as government contractors, including being suspended by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for submitting a fake BIR tax clearance.
“Yung pagpasok sa politika, hindi ‘yan p’wedeng excuse para ipagpatuloy yung paglabag sa batas. Sumali sila sa pulitika o hindi, I will do my job, and part of my job is to make sure that the correct taxes are paid to the city… so hindi ito personalan, wala pong personalan ito (Entering politics is not an excuse to continue violating the law. Whether they join politics or not, I will still do my job, and part of that job is to ensure that the correct taxes are paid to the city. So this is not personal; there’s nothing personal about it),” the mayor said.
He also mentioned that the St. Gerrard company's statement denying any connection to STCC is not true.
“Yung sinasabi po nila na hindi sila connected sa St. Timothy ay malinaw na malinaw na kasinungalingan (What they are saying, that they are not connected to St. Timothy, is clearly a lie). We have overwhelming evidence that connects them. Their office address is the same," Sotto said.
“Ang office address ng St. Timothy ay St. Gerrard Construction Building; ‘yun yung nasa business permit nila. Sa business permit nila, may picture ng St. Gerrard (The office address of St. Timothy is St. Gerrard Construction Building. That’s what’s listed on their business permit. Their business permit also has a picture of St. Gerrard)," he explained.
He also noted, "Kaya ko ‘to isinasapubliko because this is a matter of national importance. We have to make sure that our elections have integrity."
Sotto thanked Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia, stating that this will not affect their commitment to delivering a better automated system in service to Filipinos.
Related story: Mayor Vico on Miru's local partner withdrawal: ’They are planning to file their candidacy’