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Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto adds another feather to his cap after the US Department of State named him as one of the international anti-corruption champions.

Vico, son of Love My Life actress Coney Reyes and Eat Bulaga pioneer Vic Sotto, won the Pasig mayoralty race in 2019 beating then incumbent mayor, Bobby Eusebio.

The Eusebio family has been in power in the city since 1992--at that time Vico was around two years old.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken released a statement about the 12 International Anticorruption Champions, which was reported by GMA News Online.

Part of his statement reads, “Around the world, corruption threatens security and stability, hinders economic growth, undermines democracy and human rights, destroys trust in public institutions, facilitates transnational crime, and siphons away public and private resources,"

"The Biden Administration recognizes that we will only be successful in combating these issues by working in concert with committed partners, including courageous individuals who champion anti-corruption efforts and countries working to fulfill their commitments to international anti-corruption standards,"

Meanwhile, in a Twitter post, the state department called Mayor Sotto as a “standard-bearer for prioritizing anti-corruption and transparency.”

“Mayor Sotto is a standard-bearer for prioritizing anti-corruption and transparency in campaigns and office.

“He established an information and complaints hotline, formally involved civil society organizations in the city's budgeting and policy making, and mandated decrease in value of all city government contracts to reduce bribery in the contract awarding process.”

Based on a report by Philippine Daily Inquirer in July 2020, Mayor Vico Sotto announced that the Pasig City government was able to save as much as P415 million by just cleaning up its procurement process in just one year.

Congratulations to Victor Sotto from The Phillippines on being selected as an Anticorruption Champion! @USEmbassyPH

Read more at https://t.co/0sWpYVsLbF pic.twitter.com/3rC1mzKFv0

-- US Dept of State INL (@StateINL) February 23, 2021

The other honorees mentioned by the US Department of State include:

1. Ardian Dvorani of Albania
2. Diana Salazar of Ecuador
3. Sophia Pretrick of the Federated States of Micronesia
4. Juan Francisco Sandoval Alfaro of Guatemala
5. Ibrahima Kalil Gueye of Guinea
6. Anjali Bhardwaj of India
7. Dhuha A. Mohammed of Iraq
8. Bolot Temirov of the Kyrgyz Republic
9. Mustafa Abdullah Sanalla of Libya
10. Francis Ben Kaifala of Sierra Leone
11. Ruslan Ryaboshapka of Ukraine

Secretary Blinken: "I am announcing a new International Anticorruption Champions Award, recognizing individuals who have worked tirelessly, often in the face of adversity, to defend transparency, combat corruption, and ensure accountability in their own countries." pic.twitter.com/NlrRFzRyHc

-- US Dept of State INL (@StateINL) February 23, 2021

In a tweet, Vico expressed his appreciation for this recognition bestowed upon him by the US Department of State.

But he wants this recognition to help raise the awareness of his kababayans about the importance of battling corruption.

The mayor stated, “Thank you to the U.S. Department of State for this recognition.

“But more than the recognition, I hope this helps raise awareness.

“If we want better long-term governance, we need to fight corruption. We have to denormalize it, get it out of our culture.”

Thank you to the U.S. Department of State for this recognition.

But more than the recognition, I hope this helps raise awareness.

If we want better long-term governance, we need to fight corruption. We have to denormalize it, get it out of our culture. https://t.co/aeMUz3VFKd

-- Vico Sotto (@VicoSotto) February 24, 2021

Alex Gonzaga's interview

In his interview with Alex Gonzaga, Vico Sotto, who graduated with a degree in Political Science from the Ateneo de Manila University, told his reason why he decided to run for mayor in Pasig City.

Vico shared, “Ito 'yung nakita kong opportunity na magpakilala ng mga pagbabago sa lungsod natin. Lumipat si Mama [Coney Reyes] ng 1987 [sa Pasig].”

Get to know more about the Anticorruption champion Vico Sotto in the gallery below.