Vico Sotto allegedly has a troll farm
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto and his alleged troll farm became the subject of this opinion article of Manila Times columnist Van Ybiernas.
Mayor Vico is one of the most popular figures in the political arena nowadays, even though he is just at the local level. Many Filipinos have been urging him to run for a higher position, some even wanted him to be the next president, but since his still underage, this has not happened yet.
Previously, Mayor Vico has already expressed that he has no plan to run for a national position. He said that after his term in 2028, he might return to school, teach, or work in the private sector.
The son of veteran comedian Vico Sotto and the nephew of Senator Tito Sotto is known for his good governance and transparency. This was one of the reasons why he has been gaining the trust of many Filipinos and not just his constituents in Pasig City.
However, it is inevitable that, behind his good performance, negative comments and bashing are still around. His supporters criticized an opinion article by columnist Van Ybiernas of Manila Times, in which he said that Mayor Vico has “troll farm(s).”
Ybiernas believed that this troll farm(s) is/are intended to make sure that the Mayor’s image will remain untarnished. However, the columnist stressed that Mayor Vico is not paying for the troll farm(s) himself.
Ybiernas’s claim came from his belief that no “incorruptible politician exists in the context of Philippine politics.” For him, like other politicians, Mayor Vico needed funds, machinations, and whatever means necessary to secure a win in the elections.
The columnist also pointed out that funds are needed not just during the campaign period, because politicians have to spend “to keep their hold on their supporters and new or swing voters.”
For him, the Pasig City Mayor is exempted from this. “I sound like a broken record, but politicians need endless maletas of cash. No one is exempted,” Ybiernas said.
He also pointed out that there is a “mayordomo/muchacho/alila/katulong bagman” who allegedly manages these things for the “Señoritos.”
In his article, the columnist did not show any evidence to back up his claim; instead, he just said, “Can I prove it? Are you kidding me? That will only come out if the mayordomo/a and/or the muchacho/alila/katulong flips, which obviously has not happened (yet?).”
Ybiernas added that all he has is “logic and lifelong study of Philippine history, culture and politics.”
When this article was shared on Facebook, supporters of Mayor Vico Sotto slammed the columnist. Here are some comments on the allegation against the Pasig City Mayor.
