Vico warns against normalizing ill-gotten wealth

National

“IF they want attention, let’s give it to them,” Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto said, calling on Filipinos to challenge the culture of admiring ostentatious displays of wealth, particularly when linked to government officials or relatives of contractors.

He stressed that such flaunting is “strong evidence” of how corruption has become normalized in the country.

In a Wednesday, August 27, interview with ABS-CBN as quoted by Philstar, Sotto emphasized that lavish lifestyles should not be seen as aspirational, especially when connected to taxpayer-funded projects.

“We should pay attention to those kinds of stories and moments. Let’s make it abnormal, let’s make it not inspiring,” he said in the report.

He encouraged citizens to treat these displays as abnormal and unworthy of admiration, noting that public officials are bound by a code of ethics. He added that what recently drew attention online were luxury posts coming directly from the contractors’ families themselves.

The remarks follow public criticism of children of lawmakers and contractors involved in multi-billion-peso flood control projects, who recently posted vlogs and photos showing luxury cars, designer items, and expensive vacations.

Sotto said Filipinos have grown accustomed to seeing ill-gotten wealth in politics, noting that change will only come if society acknowledges its collective role in tolerating such practices over the years.

The Pasig City government has requested information from the Department of Public Works and Highways on flood control projects in the city over the past three years.

Sotto said the city plans to review whether the projects were reasonably priced and compliant with standards, noting that most were implemented without local coordination.(MyTVCebu)