The space was sparse, hardly what you would call a politician’s office. There was no gaudy table in the middle of the room, no gaudy nameplate advertising the holder’s name, no via crucis of portraits and handshakes adorning the walls. It was a space rented out from the village. A divider split the room in half; the other side was being used by mothers and titas for their weekly Zumba session.
The person in the office was clearly not your usual politician, nor was he an actor despite being an actor’s son. Vico Sotto is a contradiction in more ways than one. He’s from an established political clan, yet he rejects the trappings of a traditional politician. He’s from a renowned acting family, yet he shies away from the spotlight. Here is a man, 30 years old, who defies expectation and sets his own.
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PHOTO: Artu Nepomuceno
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Denim jacket and chino pants by Bryceland’s, shirt by L.A. Shirt, and necktie by Tie Your Tie, all at Signet, Shangri-La at The Fort
“I just came from City Hall,” Sotto said just four days away from his first day as mayor of the city of Pasig. “We had a Peace and Order Council meeting, and the formal turnover of the council.” He then explained how the turnovers work, and how the Peace and Order Council must be the first one up and running. “Kasi, July 1, hindi mo alamkunganomangyayari. There could be heavy rains, there could be something else. So we have to get everything ready before then,” he added.
Who is Vico Sotto? This time last year, you would be forgiven for considering him as a fun fact. Did you know, Vic Sotto and Coney Reyes has a kid in politics, and the conversation could end like that. But ever since he toppled the 27-year dominance of the Eusebio clan in Pasig politics, the young Sotto has received a lot of attention.
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“I didn’t grow up in politics,” he said. “Showbiz,puwede pa, kasi both of my parents are actors. I have three siblings who, at one point or another, were actors, but it really just wasn’t for me. I was really more interested in governance.”
“Both of my parents, I think, would have been very happy if I tried showbiz, especially my mom. They would invite me all the time, even in my mom's show. Lagi niya ‘kong sinasabihanna, ‘Subukuan mo namankahitisang episode lang.’ I just knew it wasn’t for me.”
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“Especially when I was younger—when I say younger, I mean before my teen years, umiiyaktalagaakon’on. They would say, ‘Birthday ng papa mo, mag-guest ka namansa [Eat] Bulaga.’ Iiyaktalagaako, and it never happened. After my toddler years, never na ‘ko bumalik. Kapag toddler ka, wala ka namang choice e. Pero n’ong may sarilinaakongutak, hindinanilaakonapilit. When I was five, six years old, hindinanilaakomapilit.”
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Celebrity life was just something that he didn’t care for, especially not while growing up. “Ayoko lang talaga. I was never comfortable with the fact that my parents were celebrities,” he mused. “Kapag mgasa mall, people would ask for pictures, so I would never go to the mall with my mom or my dad. People would ask for pictures at magtatagotalagaako. At some point, lalo nanungmedyo teenager ako, naiinisnasa'kinnanay ko, parang ‘Hindi ka pa ba nasanay? Trabaho ‘ko ‘to. Bakit hindi ka mag-pa-picture?’ Eventually I got used to it, and I got more comfortable in my skin. I don't enjoy it, perokumbaga sometimes I don't really feel like I have a choice.”
What about now, though? The Sotto who ran a successful mayoral campaign of today is hardly anything like the shy teenager who hated going to the mall with his parents. Still, here is a man who’d rather shy away from celebrity than embrace it. “I wanted to make sure that during the campaign we weren't going to make it a showbiz campaign or a celebrity-driven campaign,” he said. “Of course, those are advantages that you could use, especially given my family, but I refuse to make it about showbiz na may kantahan, sayawan.”
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“During the 45-day campaign period, very informal kasiyungmga caucus namin; we never really had rallies. Someone sang once, kasinandoonnasiya at nag-volunteer. Alangan namangsabihin naming umalis ka dito, 'di ba, e nandoonnasiya. And we appreciate it. But throughout the campaign it's really just standing in a crowd, standing on a chair, and delivering a message. In other words, we wanted to make sure that our campaign was issue-driven. We wanted to talk about issues.”
“Most of the time it was just a pickup truck we hopped on and a portable sound system. Over time biglanalang may naglagay ng sound system, hindi ko rin alamkungsaannanggaling e. It was all very organic. We really liked that.”
PHOTO: Artu Nepomuceno
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Suit by Ring Jacket and necktie by Tie Your Tie, both at Signet, Shangri-La at The Fort
Probably the most striking thing about Sotto, though, is just how astute he is. It’s easy to dismiss the neophyte mayor as naïve or wide-eyed with idealism. But he’s surprisingly pragmatic, and he didn’t enter politics with any pretensions.
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“Of course there are traditional aspects, I can't deny that,” he said, referring to his campaign. “I can't deny the degree of personality based politics. But that alone really couldn't have made the outcome, and hindinamantalagamagandayun. Unfortunately, given our electoral system, to some degree, may traditional politics pa rin na involved. We made sure to focus on the issues. We treated people with the respect that they deserve. The electorate, they’re intelligent people. We refuse to underestimate them.”
“Ang saatinkasi, dalawang things lang namanang politics in the entire country: It's either personality-based politics or money-based politics,” he continued, referring to trapo culture and the extravagance of the campaign trail. “I made sure that I didn’t spend a lot. Iniwasan ko yung part ng traditional politics that leads directly to corruption.”
Politics wasn’t like an episode of Eat Bulaga. “When I was entering politics, my number one apprehension was that I didn’t want to put forward a brand of personality-based politics. Hindi ko namanmaiwasan totally because of my name and my family, but I don’t want to contribute to bad politics in the country.”
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Sotto manages to blend youthful optimism and realpolitik in what he says and does. He’s neither overly idealistic nor is he cynical. He looks at politics and realizes that it’s an ossified institution that needs to change, but an institution nonetheless.
“If you look at the big picture, you have to play by the rules,” he said. “The rules of the game are clear, but we need people to push to system a little bit. Kasi angmgaproblemanamannatinsa Pilipinas ay deeply institutionalized, ingrained in our culture. Kung anglahat ng taongmaayos, ayawsumali,walangmangyayari. The people outside have no way to get in. So you need people with a good solid ideological foundation, or just integrity in general; kahithindi pa ideology. ‘Yong katapatan pa lang at integridadpinaguusapannatin. My realization entering government and doing NGO work, as well, ay nasa level pa lang tayo ng kailanganhindimagnanakawangmgapulitikonatin.”
And that’s why looking at what the future holds for Pasig is so interesting. For 27 years, the Eusebios have controlled the mayoralty seat in an almost feudal, dynastic fashion. And it’s exactly the kind of ossified system that Sotto is railing against. He’s already got big plans: His platform revolves around five key things—healthcare, education, housing, participatory government, and the drive against corruption. Each of these are well-thought-out, with emphasis on the first 100 days of office.
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These aren’t pet projects either. “My agenda actually comes from consultations we did throughout the campaign period,” he said. “We went through a process of, maybe, 100, 200 consultations, stakeholders’ meetings, all the way to the barangay levels.” And it is through this style of participatory caucusing that Sotto was able to craft an agenda that was well-suited to the needs of the people. More important, it gave the people of Pasig a voice that they could rally behind, away from the traditional politics of the past and the feudal trappings of the Eusebio fiefdom. It gave the people a glint of hope that the city could be their city again.
Unlike the traditional image of a politician, there is no enigma to unpack with Sotto. The most surprising thing about him is that there’s nothing surprising about him. He doesn’t have the extravagance of Chavit Singson or the storied career of Erin Tañada. He’s simply who he is. Ultimately, questions about who Sotto is are patently irrelevant. The real question is what does he represent?
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Sotto is new blood. And he’s part of a trend of young leaders holding the reins and taking charge of destiny. He, along with people like Sarah Elago and all the other youth leaders all over the country, represent a new form of change. Sotto, for his part, is hopeful. “Do something now” is his message to the youth of today. “Don't wait until you graduate; do something now. It doesn't have to be big right away. But get involved. Join an organization you believe in. Participate in your barangay assembly. These little things will add up. Do something now, especially in relation to your own community,” he asserts.
“The second thing is be prepared. The saddest thing that I've seen in government is when a person has a good heart, and good intentions, but ends up doing the wrong thing, because they aren't prepared. If you're not prepared, you end up doing things that are actually corrupt practices, sometimes you don't even know it. Kasi ‘yon angnakasanayan e. The whole institution will tell you this is the way to do it."
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"In fact, some of the corrupt practices are themselves being institutionalized, so kunghindi ka well-prepared, walakang grounding, not just in terms of academics, but in terms of your political ideology. Kung walakang roots, madalikangmatatangay. You need a good, solid theory of change, good grounding, and multiple anchors. People who will give you advice. We need to do something now, but we also need to continuously prepare ourselves. We have to change the rules of the game to make it more fair, make it more equitable.”
Only time will tell if the game can truly be changed. But here’s to hoping.
In this story: Produced and styled by Clifford Olanday • Photographs by Artu Nepomuceno • Interview by Justin Umali • Grooming by Joan Teotico using NARS Cosmetics • Hair by G Mande • Production assistants Roland Mae Tanglao and Ednalyn Magnaye Garcia • Clothes by Signet, Shangri-La at The Fort
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