TIME gave this recognition to Vico Sotto
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto was included on the list of TIME Magazine’s “World’s Most Influential Rising Stars.”
The 36-year-old public servant has been known for his good governance. He has received praise not only from his constituents but also from people in various parts of the Philippines who have witnessed the positive changes he has made for Pasig City.
Mayor Vico is also known for fighting corruption in the government. He was not afraid to call out irregularities that he saw, even if it meant going against big names and influential people, just like what he did amid the issue of anomalous flood control projects.
Mayor Vico Sotto has received recognition and awards for being a public servant. Just recently, another recognition was attached to his name.
The Filipino politician was named one of the Most Influential Rising Stars of 2025. Journalist, co-founder of Rappler, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa wrote the article about Mayor Vico.
“In the Philippines, fighting corruption feels like death by a thousand cuts—each small victory eroded by the system’s capacity to regenerate. But Vico Sotto is proving it can be done,” she wrote.
It also narrated that as a young public servant, the Mayor was able to go against a 27-year family dynasty. He has done it without using money and political machinery but through “radical transparency.”
Mayor Vico has made innovations in the local government of Pasig City. He started a “24/7 information and complaints hotline, public procurement that’s livestreamed, and the slashing of project costs by eliminating kickbacks.”
During the pandemic, he was really hands-on in leading his people. The Mayor conducted mobile kitchens for the frontliners and provided transportation for them. He also provided services to Pasiguenos without considering their political affiliation.
“His courageous approach—data-driven, direct, and empathetic—is a master class in modern, ethical leadership and has twice won him re-Âelection, including in May. It’s a testament to the power of the individual to ignite a movement for change,” Maria Ressa wrote.
Mayor Vico Sotto continues what he has been doing, and unlike other politicians, he expressed that he has no desire to run for a national position in the 2028 elections.