Vico Sotto says he would rather focus on pandemic response now than talk politics

MANILA, Philippines — There are too many problems that need to be prioritized right now rather than discussions on politics, Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto said Wednesday.

Speaking on INQside Look, Sotto admitted that there are discussions from time to time about his move in the 2022 elections, but the mayor said he wants to focus on the pandemic first.

“Sa Pasig, dito nagkakaintindihan kami na ang sinasabi namin dito ‘wag muna natin pag-usapan yung pulitika dahil ang dami pa nating problema na kailangan harapin,” Sotto said when asked about his political plans for next year.

(Here in Pasig, we understand that it’s not the time to talk about politics because there are so many problems we need to face.)

“The problem is, if i make a statement about politics, it’s going to be a headline, it’s going to be shared on social media. ‘Yun ang iniiwasan natin sa ngayon kasi kailangan natin mag-focus. Ang daming mas importanteng kailangang pag-usapan (That is what we’re trying to avoid because we need to focus. There are other more important things to discuss),” he added.

Sotto said he would rather discuss politics when it is time for the filing of the certificate of candidacy.

“Kami-kami dito napag-uusapan na rin namin yan kahit papano pero ang talagang pinagtutuunan natin ng pansin ay yung pandemya at yung iba pang mga kailangang gawin pagdating sa paggobyerno sa lungsod ng Pasig,” Sotto said.

(We have discussed it here in one way or another, but what we are really focusing on is the pandemic and other things that need to be done when it comes to governing Pasig.)

Sotto has earlier dismissed the possibility of running for president in the 2022 elections, saying that he does not even meet the age requirement for the post.

The mayor has also previously said he would “definitely” want to continue implementing reforms in Pasig City, noting only nine months of his term, which started in 2019, were spent without the COVID-19 pandemic.

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