A week after his official proclamation as the winner of the Pasig City mayoral race, a petition seeking the disqualification of Mayor-elect Vico Sotto has been filed, according to Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Erwin Garcia.
“I don’t know the nature [of the case], but I was informed by the clerk of the commission that it was a petition to disqualify that candidate,” Garcia said during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Garcia noted that while he has yet to review the details of the petition, disqualification cases are generally required to be filed prior to the proclamation of a winning candidate. “Question, is that still allowed? I will not answer the merits. But usually, the petition to disqualify is only allowed to be filed before the proclamation of the candidate,” he clarified.
He added that once a candidate has been proclaimed, the appropriate legal remedies would typically include an election protest, a quo warranto petition, or the filing of a criminal complaint related to alleged election offenses.
Mayor Sotto was proclaimed on May 13, a day after the May 2025 midterm elections, after securing a decisive victory with 351,392 votes, according to the official Comelec tally.
A political stronghold challenged
Vico Sotto’s landslide win marks another strong mandate from Pasig voters, reaffirming their support for his transparent and reform-driven governance brand. Sotto, who first rose to the city’s top post in 2019, ended the nearly three-decade-long rule of the Eusebio political dynasty. His 2019 victory was hailed as a symbol of political renewal, especially among the youth and progressive sectors.
In the 2025 elections, Sotto ran for a third and final term under the banner of good governance, anti-corruption, and public service reform. He faced off against former Pasig congressman Ricky Eusebio, a member of the family that once held a strong political grip on the city.
Despite a spirited campaign from Eusebio’s camp, Sotto maintained a commanding lead throughout the race. His administration has been credited with implementing digital governance initiatives, improving public health services, and promoting infrastructure transparency—platforms that have resonated strongly with the electorate.
The identity of the petitioner and the specific grounds for the disqualification bid have not yet been made public. As of now, the case awaits formal evaluation by the Commission en banc.