The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines — Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto on Monday pushed back against critics, including some Duterte supporters, who questioned his focus on the Discaya family as he welcomed the arrest of contractor Curlee Discaya and called for more individuals involved in alleged corruption to be held accountable. “I hope more people will be imprisoned,” Sotto said in a social media post following Discaya’s arrest. The mayor said the development showed progress in exposing alleged corruption, noting that many Filipinos were unaware of the scale of the problem just a year ago. “Sometimes what is happening in our country is disappointing; I just think that ‘at least’ somehow, there is progress. Just 1 year ago, most of us didn’t even know the level of corruption going on,” he said. Sotto made the remarks after responding to social media users who accused him of singling out the Discayas while allegedly paying less attention to other personalities linked to the flood control controversy. “But secondly, the point is that I will probably mention Discaya and Lipana more because that is where I have PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE and EVIDENCE. It would not make sense for me to keep talking about something that I only watched in the news as well,” he said. The mayor described Discaya as among the personalities who allegedly benefited the most from the flood control controversy. He stressed, however, that the issue extends beyond flood control projects. “But this is not only about flood control. This is just one example of how evil minds can exploit our broken system. Tomorrow, the same things will happen again, unless we continue to fight and de-normalize corruption,” Sotto said. He urged the public to remain informed, exercise critical thinking and continue demanding accountability from government officials. “So let’s keep doing our part. Stay informed, exercise critical thinking, and keep pressuring the government. Let us make sure that we do not forget,” he said.
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