In a democracy, where accountability is expected of public officials, Mayor Vico Sotto’s recent handling of legitimate media inquiries regarding the Pasig City Hall project raises troubling questions.
Sotto has built a reputation as a progressive leader but his decision to sidestep questions from the Daily Tribune, coupled with his use of social media to cast doubt on a journalist’s integrity, suggests a discomfort with fair criticism that undermines the values of good governance he claims to uphold.
The issue began when a contractor criticized details of the new Pasig City Hall project, prompting the Daily Tribune to seek the mayor’s response, which is expected of responsible journalism.
This was a routine exercise for media, which was to give Sotto an opportunity to clarify the allegations and demonstrate transparency. Instead, he declined an interview, citing a packed campaign schedule, and opted for a social media offensive.
On 28 April, Sotto tagged a Daily Tribune reporter in a post, accusing him of bias by claiming that 16 of his 20 articles on Pasig focused on the promises of Sotto’s political opponents. This insinuation, paired with a campaign video where Sotto lambasted the contractor and indirectly criticized the media as “biased and corrupt,” painted a deflection rather than engagement.
To say the least, Sotto’s response was disappointing not for its intensity but for its implications.
Issuing a sweeping accusation of the stories being politically motivated, he sidestepped the substance of the contractor’s criticism, namely, the transparency of the P10-billion City Hall contract.
His claim that the contract is “readily available” on the city’s website, while factual, does not address specific concerns raised by the contractor, nor does it justify dismissing the media’s role in amplifying those concerns.
The stories were vetted by Daily Tribune as fairly presenting an issue imbued with public interest since it involves the use of public funds.
Journalism is not a mouthpiece for public officials; it exists to probe, question, and hold power to account, even when the questions are inconvenient.
Regarding the publisher of this newspaper, he is keeping his hands off the story, inhibiting himself since he is a personal friend of former Senate President Tito Sotto, Vico’s uncle.
Mayor Sotto’s decision to publicly call out a reporter by name and photo, leveraging his significant social media following, flirts with a dangerous precedent.
While he stopped short of overt harassment, his actions echo a populist tactic: weaponizing public opinion to discredit the media rather than addressing the issue at hand.
The Daily Tribune has rightly taken exception to Sotto’s insinuation of impropriety.
Accountability is not selective; it demands consistency, especially from leaders who champion reform.
A high-ranking government official has resigned from his post, reportedly fed up with what he described as rampant manipulation and corruption within the agency he headed.
“He never wanted that position to begin with,” a source close to the matter told Daily Tribune. “There’s someone in Malacañang — a former head of that agency — who still calls the shots. Her influence is everywhere. She still has that agency in her grip.”
The source claims that even though this official has left the department, the shadow of the former agency head, now serving as a Malacañang undersecretary, continues to loom large.
“She may have a new post in the Palace now but her hands are still all over that agency,” the insider said. “She’s really the one in control and, frankly, she’s shady.”
The resigned official, a well-known television personality, previously held key roles under a former female president. He was even considered her alter ego.
According to the source, the official finally walked away because he couldn’t stand being surrounded by what he called a “filthy” environment — one that he felt was being manipulated behind the scenes.