Vico Sotto dismisses 6 ‘Blue Boys’ over ‘kotong’ raps

NO MORE MR. NICE GUY Vico Sotto: They cannot say that I didn’t give sufficient warning. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto has fired six of the city’s “Blue Boys” over alleged extortion, the latest in the freshman mayor’s drive to clean up a traffic department long reviled by the public.

Sotto said on his social media pages late on Monday that he had just finished signing the dismissal orders of the six Traffic Parking Management Office (TPMO) enforcers, better known as Blue Boys because of their signature blue uniform, over “kotong” or bribery charges.

“It hurts to do this but if we keep giving second chances, nothing is going to change,” he said. “They cannot say that I didn’t give sufficient warning.”

Sotto swept former Mayor Robert Eusebio out of city hall in 2019 after a campaign hinged on ending a so-called culture of corruption and patronage in Pasig City. The Blue Boys, notorious for flagging down motorists to extort money, were one of the most visible faces of that culture.

“The day is coming that when people hear ‘Blue Boys,’ they won’t say, ‘Oh those enforcers are corrupt. They wait around for people to catch, then take bribes!’” Sotto said on Monday. “Instead they will say, ‘Blue Boys, they do good work, they’re trustworthy and honorable.’”

A month into his tenure, Sotto started an initiative that aimed to professionalize the ranks of TPMO enforcers.