Tito Sotto wanted to change the age requirement for the presidency
Senator Tito Sotto was asked if he is paving the way for his nephew, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, with his intention to change the age requirement for the presidency.
Tito Sen has been in the political arena for many years already. From local positions, he served for many years as a Senator. In 2022, he ran for vice president as the running mate of Sen. Ping Lacson.
Unfortunately, they did not win. In the 2025 midterm elections, Sotto and Lacson both ran for Senator, and they both won.
In a recent interview on journalist Pinky Webb’s program On Point on Bilyonaryo, Sen. Tito Sotto shared an interesting aspiration he wanted to do when it comes to the age requirement for the presidency in the Philippines.
The lawmaker said that instead of 40 years old as the qualifying age for a presidential candidate, he wanted to lower it to 35. When it comes to the senator’s age requirement, Tito Sen wanted to lower it to 30 years old.
He pointed out that the younger generation or the Gen Z and millennials is amazing and really does well in their chosen fields. “Ibigay na natin sa mga kabataan ang pagpapatakbo nitong bansa baka puro pa matino ang mailagay natin,” Tito Sen said.
Then, Pinky asked the Senator if this was just to give way to his nephew, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, who is now 36 years old. Tito Sotto said that he had expected this kind of comment.
The lawmaker said that he never thought of Mayor Vico when he aimed to lower the age requirement for the presidency. Tito Sen also pointed out that this is already happening in the United States. In the US, the age requirement for the presidency is 35 years old, and 30 years old for senatorial candidates.
After Vico Sotto’s third win as Pasig City Mayor, he was asked if he is set to run for a national position. He stressed that he has no plan for that. He even said that he is not planning to run in the 2028 elections.
To recall, during the campaign period for the 2025 elections, Vico Sotto’s father, veteran comedian Vic Sotto, introduced his son as “the next president of the Philippines.”