Run, Vico, run

I hope Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto runs for the Senate next year.

I don’t usually write about politicians as much as I write about our dizzying economy and the markets, but the steady unraveling of some of our senators during the ongoing impeachment trial and the way they continue to tarnish the once respectable chamber call for new blood.

We need Filipinos who deserve Senate seats more than some of our current senators, who occupy their posts not with a heart to serve the people but with bloated egos and vested interests.

The case for Vico

Vico is no doubt winnable. Many predict that he can even become president someday.

At the Senate, we need someone competent and capable of beating the trapos or those from family dynasties and the artistas. These familiar names are at the top of the minds of Filipino voters because they are simply popular and not so much because of their track record.

On the other hand, many others are competent, brilliant and more deserving than our incumbent lawmakers but they are not winnable.

And this is why Vico Sotto is the perfect candidate.

It’s not often that we have someone like him come along in this current era of our Republic – sincere, competent, a visionary and winnable.

Just last week, results of a Pulse Asia survey, conducted before the July 6 start of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial in the Senate, showed that Sen. Robinhood Padilla and Mayor Vico topped the senatorial survey.

Padilla landed in first to second place while Vico ranked first to third.

But between Mr. “Sana hindi one-sided ang ating prosecution” and the good mayor, I would vote for Vico in this lifetime and in all other lifetimes.

As we saw during the impeachment trial, Sen. Robinhood Padilla is a testament to the limits of celebrities-turned-lawmakers.

In the case of Senator Robin, his plea for the prosecution not to be one-sided should actually be directed at himself and his colleagues in the minority.

It’s really excruciating to watch the impeachment trial and witness the persistent spectacle of senators struggling to comprehend even the most legal issues. The only consolation is that the people can see how brilliant or incapable our lawmakers are.

Senator Robin later issued yet another clarification to defend his “Sana hindi one-sided ang ating prosecution” remark but we’ve seen this happen too many times.

But there is no denying that he is popular, as popular as the bad boy of Philippine movies that he was – buff, strong and running on rooftops to escape the villain like a true hero.

Perhaps, as with other celebrities-turned-politicians, Filipinos can’t distinguish the movie persona from the real person.

He is, after all, one of the biggest names in Philippine showbiz. Actually, I can’t help but wonder if he thinks being a senator is just one long reality TV show – one where everything is acting for the cameras and klieg lights.

And perhaps it’s the reason why he topped the survey. He can wow a crowd of pro-Duterte rallyists, say everything they want to hear with all the sound bites that make their hearts thump and overflow with emotions. Just like in the movies.

And it is precisely because of incumbent senators like Robin Padilla that we need Vico Sotto in the chamber. As we’ve seen during the trial, senators have the critical and important role of acting as an impeachment court to judge top government officials accused of corruption or wrongdoing. This is on top of drafting, reviewing and approving bills, handling the budget, confirming appointments to key government posts and approving treaties.

I dare argue that Mayor Victor Maria Regis “Vico” Sotto is the kind of senator we need because he has proven to be a competent civil servant as seen in his performance in Pasig, where he was first elected as mayor in 2019.

He has consistently pursued reforms aimed at making government more accountable and has been fighting a system of well-entrenched corruption.

Thus, aside from being winnable, Mayor Vico, most of all, has a genuine love for the Philippines – the kind that resonates with many Filipinos who want to see this country become a lot better than it is today.

He has demonstrated this through good governance, although he has admitted feeling frustrated almost every day as he fights the old ways.

“At a certain point each day, I feel a certain level of frustration. And if I were to be completely honest with you, sometimes I do feel frustrated. A lack of hope. Parang ang bigat naman sabihin na hopeless. But the truth is, sometimes I do feel hopeless,” he said during a recent commencement speech before the UP College of Law Class of 2026.

But he said that the road toward a better nation has no shortcuts.

And he expressed hope that “if this next generation of leaders, including the class of 2026, steps up, perhaps our nation will be in for a pleasant surprise.”

I hope that the good mayor will also heed his own advice when it comes to running for the Senate – to rise up and help save the chamber from further doom and despair.

So please, for the sake of the country and our people, run, mayor, run.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.