It was a joke only his father could get away with.

PASIG CITY, Philippines – The crowd in the atrium of the Mutya ng Pasig Mega Market roared in excitement as a familiar figure tried to sneak around and behind the rostrum, assisted by stage hands as they all tried to make his fashionably late entrance as inconspicuous as possible.

It was only moments before Vico Sotto, Pasig’s mayor running for a third and final term, would take the stage and address the adoring audience. But there really was no way to conceal the arrival of his father, the showbusiness institution Vic Sotto, a.k.a. “Bossing”, who could very well have stolen the event from the entire Giting ng Pasig slate.

But he did not. In fact, only he could get away with throwing the ultimate compliment at the rising star of a politician that is his son, who balks at any insinuation of a future in national politics.

“Heto na po! Ang susunod na presidente ng Pilipinas! (Here he is! The next president of the Philippines!)” The older Sotto laughed theatrically to douse the gasp-inducing moment, to underscore the joke, then continued: “Mayor Vico Sotto!”

The crowd roared, the music blared. The father walked to the son, the son stood up and met him halfway. The two embraced, and the younger Sotto went on to take the stage.

Although surveys generally indicate a comfortable lead for Vico Sotto, he faces an opponent awash with resources to mount a sweeping ground campaign. Businesswoman Sarah Discaya has, for months already and way before the official start of the campaign period, been holding charity events all over Pasig: food and aid distribution, medical missions, anything to endear her to the city’s many poor residents.

Discaya and her husband Pacifico own the St. Gerrard Construction Corporation, a known contractor of government projects including for Pasig City, with a record of having once been suspended by the Department of Public Works and Highways for failing to deliver on a contract stipulation. She has spoken publicly that, should she become mayor, the city would see new hospitals, housing condominiums, and transport terminals – courtesy of the construction company she owns.

In a recent media interview, Discaya criticized Sotto’s administration as having “focused on good governance” at the expense of “healthcare and education”. She frames the incumbent’s efforts as having failed to translate to tangible benefits for the city’s poor. Meanwhile, her official Facebook page is replete with photos and videos of her against the background of poor Pasig residents receiving charity.

And so Sotto, at his campaign kickoff, emphasized that good governance has been delivering the goods. The city has been saving a billion pesos every year since his leadership kicked the kickback “SOP” – a euphemism for corruption – in the city’s procurement processes. The city now has over twice the scholars – from 12,000 to 25,000 – since he took over in 2019. The lease on public market stalls is down by more than half. One concessionaire, Ma. Glorienda, told Rappler she now pays only P990 a month for the space her eatery occupies. She used to pay P2,500 monthly.

That was to name only a few, Sotto said.

Glorienda, whose family has done business in the Mega Market for three generations, said she would vote for Sotto.

“Marami siyang nagawa (He’s done a lot),” she said. “Third term naman na eh. Ibigay na. (He’d be on his third term anyway. I’d give it to him.)”

But is the presidency in Vico Sotto’s stars? He said his father was kidding.

“Huwag na nating pansinin ‘yon (Let’s ignore that),” he told reporters after the event. – Rappler.com

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