Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto urged the University of the Philippines College of Law Class of 2026 to guard their integrity, sharing his personal guide to resisting systemic corruption during his address as the guest of honor at their graduation ceremony on Saturday, July 11.
Reflecting on the challenges of public service, Sotto offered a decade of personal principles designed to prevent idealistic professionals from being “eaten by the system” in environments where deeply entrenched illicit practices remain common.
“It’s actually a list of things that serve as a reminder to myself. So you can adopt it, or not, pero para sa akin nakatulong po ito,” Sotto said.
“These are 10 things—there are more, but these are 10 things that I have done, and I try to continue to do that helped me from being eaten by the system,” he added.
His ten self-preservation guidelines focus on mental preparation, ethical boundaries, and accountability:
- Prioritize preparation over raw courage.
- Keep and regularly review a list of non-negotiable values.
- Choose faith, conscience, and integrity over wealth, power, and ambition when facing doubts.
- Understand cognitive dissonance and monitor its impact on personal choices.
- Step outside of personal echo chambers periodically.
- Evaluate your ego on a daily basis.
- Surround yourself with individuals who hold matching principles and beliefs.
- Rely on those trusted individuals to keep you grounded.
- Grant those close to you the authority to keep you accountable.
- Maintain respect for systems while remaining willing to challenge the status quo.
The mayor admitted that battling institutional corruption often takes a toll on him, but seeing the passion of the new lawyers brought him a sense of relief.
“You know, many times as a government official who has been trying his best to fight against the old norms, mga lumang kalakaran, as someone who has been trying to fight for positive reforms and changes in our government, I have to admit to you that many times, I feel frustrated almost every day. At a certain point each day, I feel a certain level of frustration,” Sotto shared.
Despite these struggles, Sotto remarked that looking at the graduates gave him a “resurgence of hope in my heart.”
“I’ve heard that many of you have attended anti-corruption rallies, and part of the reason why I’m hopeful for our country and part of the reason why I’m hopeful for the future of our country is that I know that you care. You’re not apathetic,” Sotto added.
Sotto cautioned the class that they would eventually face pressure to engage in unethical activities, such as bribery, fraud, vote-buying, and the spread of disinformation.
“Wherever life takes you, you will eventually be pressured by others or tempted by circumstance into crossing ethical boundaries, compromising your principles, and breaking your integrity,” he said.
Illustrating this, Sotto recounted a recent encounter where an unsolicited service proponent asked the Pasig city administrator about the local “SOP” (kickback percentage) instead of answering questions about maintenance and service fees.
“Yung city admin ko, medyo nahawa na po sa akin pag may mga ganong tanong, medyo mainit na ang ulo. At sabi niya, huwag niyo kaming tanungin ng ganyan. Zero percent ang SOP namin, wala kaming ganyan sa Pasig, sabi niya,” the mayor said.
According to Sotto, the proponent was shocked, having believed that Pasig’s zero-tolerance policy for kickbacks was merely public relations spin.
“Sa madaling salita, parang nakarating na tayo sa punto kung saan mas nakakagulat pa kapag may nakasalubong kang honest kesa sa corrupt,” he said.
Sotto closed by reminding the graduates that national progress relies on the collective strength of the next generation rather than a single political figure.
“But if this next generation of leaders, including the class of 2026, if your generation will rise up as we have seen you already beginning to do, perhaps our nation will be in for a pleasant surprise.”
He challenged the new batch of lawyers to champion justice above all else.
“May you always choose to fight on the side of truth, fairness, and for the rule of law. May God bless you and your future careers. May God bless you and your families. And I look forward to everything that the future has in store for you. I look forward to witnessing you change our nation,” he stated.