PASIG City mayor Vico Sotto yesterday said he will not join any political party following his resignation from Aksyon Demokratiko.
In a television interview, Sotto said he has been invited by several political parties to join their group but “I am not interested.”
“I’m an advocate of stronger political parties and stronger political party systems in the Philippines. If it’s just for political gain, I will not join a political party. I have nothing to gain from it,” Sotto said in Filipino.
Sotto resigned as executive vice president and member of the Aksyon Demokratiko after the May 2022 national elections. He said he and his former political party were “no longer a group of individuals with similar political goals and ideals.”
Sotto said he will consider joining another political party if the group’s principles and management align with his own.
But for now, he said there is no political party that aligns with his ideology.
“The political party system of the Philippines is really weak. That is not a secret, the whole world knows,” Sotto said as he urged Congress to pass a law that would strengthen the political party system in the Philippines.
“We need stronger political parties. With weak political parties, you have no choice but to be personality- based,” he said.
He likewise said he has no plan of putting up his own political party and would remain an independent so he can focus on running the local affairs of Pasig City.
Sotto joined Aksyon Demokratiko in 2018. He ran and won his first and second mayoralty race under the banner of the party.
