Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. (File photo by JOHN ERIC MENDOZA / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III, a vice presidential candidate, wants a definition of “political dynasty,” saying that it exists when there is “concentrated influence” in a certain area.
“If there is no concentrated influence… it’s not a political dynasty,” he said, speaking in a mix of English and Filipino in an interview on Tuesday over AM radio station DZRH. “So it has to be defined. That’s my stand.”
He had been asked his take on political dynasties and the bills pending in Congress seeking to prohibit them.
“Let’s define it. If in one area their influence is concentrated, then you can call it a political dynasty. But in a case when one is doing this and another is doing that, that’s not a dynasty.”
In Sotto’s case, his son, Gian Sotto, is the vice mayor of Quezon City, and his nephew, Vico Sotto, is the mayor of Pasig City.
The Constitution bans political dynasties, but no law has been passed defining what a political dynasty is.
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