Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, son of actor-TV host Vic Sotto and veteran actress Coney Reyes, has been named to TIME magazine’s TIME100 Next 2025 list, recognized as one of the world’s most influential rising leaders.
The annual list, launched in 2019, spotlights individuals “still on the rise” across politics, business, culture, and science.
Sotto, 36, was placed under the Leaders category and profiled by Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler CEO.
In her write-up published September 30, Ressa commended Sotto’s transparency-driven governance, maintaining the young politician proved “it can be done” in a country where corruption often feels insurmountable.
“At 36, Pasig City’s mayor has toppled a 27-year family dynasty not through money or machinery, but through radical transparency: a 24/7 information and complaints hotline, public procurement that’s livestreamed, and the slashing of project costs by eliminating kickbacks,” Ressa wrote.
She also cited Sotto’s COVID-19 response, which included mobile kitchens for frontliners, zero-emission buses for workers, and aid distribution based on need rather than political ties—calling it “a master class in modern, ethical leadership.”
The recognition marks another milestone in Sotto’s career, which has often been framed against his showbiz lineage.
Vico grew up in the public eye but chose politics over entertainment, forging his own path. Since first winning the Pasig mayoralty in 2019, he has twice been re-elected on a platform of good governance and reform.
Today, as the Philippines confronts a massive public works corruption scandal, Sotto has emerged as a symbol of principled leadership. His efforts to expose alleged anomalies in flood control projects linked to political rivals further highlight his reputation as a reformer.
