Vico Sotto III is Old Enough to Be Senator in 2025

By JoeAm on July 1, 2024

Analysis and Opinion

By Joe America

I thought about entitling this article "Young Movers and Shakers in the Philippines" but I couldn't really think of any, other than Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto III.

The Philippines is led around by old people, in the main. Too many dynastic barons and snakes who couldn't find food in a forest. Young Mark Villar is 45. Bong Go is 50. Robin the Hood is 54. President Marcos is 66.

Even the good are old. Leni Robredo is 59. The Left is led by the same curmudgeons who were around when the dinosaurs were. Risa Hontiveros is 58. The youngest is Bam Aquino who is 47. He's running for senator in 2025, and that's excellent.

Vico Sotto is 35 and boy does the nation need new oil.

That's the problem with a nation of impunity and privilege. Young people have no portfolio. Political parties do not really develop new stars. Old ones just move to the front of the line, the same as in business where "careers" is a foreign word and privilege dictates who gets the power and riches. Not competence.

To change the mold you have to break the old one.

Time moves fast, the Philippines slow. That's the mold that needs to be broken.

Even Vico Sotto knows this is hard, as he said in this 2019 article. Vico Sotto writes honest, eye-opening essay on introducing change in 'bureaucratic, rigid' government

Without question, the Philippines needs movers and shakers. Young ones preferred.

The Young Mayor talked about change again in 2021. 'Push for change' Mayor Vico urges nation's young leaders.

The question is, I suppose, does he just want to talk about change, or lead it? The nation needs some good sharks. Hungry ones. Ambitious ones with good values. Is he one? A driver? An organizer? Or is he happy with a big job as Mayor.

As mayor, he can change one city. As a senator, he could change hundreds.

I hear Leni Robredo will run for local office, too. That's the nation's loss, I think. She's not youthful, but she is dynamic.

If you have names of youthful leaders with potential, kindly introduce them in the discussion section below. Sharks preferred. Good ones.

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Cover photo from Journal Online. See link to article above.