2028 ELECTIONS

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto announced on Monday that he will not be seeking any political position in the 2028 elections. He made the declaration during the turnover ceremony for newly elected Pasig officials set to serve from 2025 to 2028.

“Ngayon wala nang pulitika; 2028 hindi ako tatakbo. Ngayon pa lang sinasabi ko na sa inyo. Kaya malaya ako gawin kung anong tingin ko ang tama,” Sotto stated, which translates to: “Now there’s no politics; in 2028, I will not run. I am telling you this now. That’s why I am free to do what I think is right.”

Sotto is currently serving his third and final consecutive term as the city’s chief executive. His political party, “Giting ng Pasig,” achieved a dominant victory in the recent local elections, with all its candidates for vice mayor, representative, and 12 city council bets (six for each district) securing wins.

In the mayoral race, Sotto overwhelmingly defeated his opponent Sara Discaya, securing 351,392 votes compared to Discaya’s 29,591, according to the official tally from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

In the same speech, Mayor Sotto also called out individuals allegedly involved in illegal activities, urging them to fulfill their tax obligations. “Kailangan may managot sa mga krimen na nagaganap,” Sotto said, emphasizing that “The billions of pesos in taxes you owe the national and local government, you must pay them.”

He further stressed his willingness to engage with anyone, including those who criticized or sabotaged him during the last elections. “I am ready to talk to anyone, even to those who slandered me. Even to those who sabotaged me, even to those who spent so much to undermine what we are doing,” he stated.