US State Department cites Vico Sotto as ‘anti-corruption champion’

BY JEL SANTOS

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto was hailed by the US State Department as one of its International Anti-corruption champions, citing his prioritization of anti-corruption and transparency initiatives.

The International Anti-corruption Champions Award of the US State Department aims to recognize individuals who have demonstrated leadership, courage, and impact in preventing, exposing, and combating corruption.

He was described by the US State Department as a “standard-bearer for a new generation of Philippine politicians.”

Sotto was cited for ending the 27-year reign of a political family in Pasig City in 2019. His push for transparency while he was still a councilor was also recognized by the State Department as Sotto was the author of the first Freedom of Information (FOI) ordinance in Metro Manila.

Sotto, the youngest councilor then, pushed for the passage of Pasig City Ordinance No. 37 or the first local transparency ordinance in Metro Manila in 2018, which allows city residents to request documents without having to provide a justification.

Under the said ordinance, if the information officer fails to provide the requested documents after the maximum period of 10 days, he/she will be sanctioned.

Moreover, it cited the efforts of the young mayor to fight corruption by establishing a transparent approach to governance in order to stop kickbacks in city projects and dealings.

“Sotto has sought to solidify his reputation as a fresh voice with a new, more transparent approach to governance. He pledged to avoid any kickbacks in the awarding of city contracts, established a 24/7 public information and complaints hotline, formally involved civil society organizations in the city’s budgeting and policy making, and mandated that the value of all city government contracts be reduced by at least 10 percent – a measure intended to reduce bribery in the contract awarding process,” the US State Department said. (Jel Santos)