MANILA (UPDATED) - Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto was among Aksyon Demokratiko officials who approved the party's decision to choose Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso as its standard bearer for the 2022 national elections, the group's chairperson said Monday.

Vico is a nephew of vice presidential candidate Sen. Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, who is running with presidential aspirant Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson.

According to Aksyon Demokratiko chairman Ernest Ramel Jr., Vico was part of the panel that discussed Domagoso's pitch for the presidency before the latter formally joined the party last year.

"Actually, he was part of the process. He was consulted, he attended one of the meetings with Mayor Isko and he asked tough questions," Ramel said in a press conference in response to a question why the 32-year-old Pasig mayor is not actively campaigning for Aksyon's presidential candidate.

"He (Vico) said, 'I don't have any problems with our presumed, at that time, presidential standard bearer'."

But Vico asked to be excluded from the national campaign as his uncle and godfather is running for the country's second highest post under a different slate, Ramel said.

"Ang sabi niya (Vico) lang sa akin, ipit siya kay Tito Sen," the Aksyon chair said.

(He just told me that he is placed in a tight spot because of Sen. Tito.)

"'Yun lang ang kaniyang pakiusap na, 'I don't want to be involved muna diyan dahil nga maiipit siya kay Tito Sen', and he also wants to focus on his own fight sa Pasig City,'" he added.

(The only thing he told me is that, 'I don't want to be involved for now because I will be placed in a difficult position with Sen. Tito,' and he also wants to focus on his own fight in Pasig City.)

• Why Vico Sotto distances himself from national politics

Sen. Sotto chairs the Nationalist People's Coalition, while Lacson is with Partido Reporma.

Vico's father, TV host and actor Vic Sotto, joined the proclamation rally of the Lacson-Sotto team, and is also expected to make appearances in his elder brother's campaign.

Vico, who is running for re-election, did not attend Aksyon Demokratiko's national convention in September, during which Domagoso and cardiologist Willie Ong were nominated as the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates, respectively.

• Vico Sotto skips Aksyon Demokratiko nomination of Isko Moreno, party's 2022 bets

When asked if Vico - who commands about a million followers on social media - would eventually help Domagoso, who ranks third in a recent Pulse Asia survey, Ramel said: "In time, we will see."

"Patuloy naman 'yung aming pagkukuwentuhan at pag-e-exchange ng messages ni Mayor Vico Sotto," he said.

(Mayor Vico Sotto and I are still exchanging messages, and we are staying in touch.)

• #Halalan2022: Tito Sotto dismisses claims of clan's unfolding political dynasty

Aksyon Demokratiko exec VP @VicoSotto maintains he is not endorsing any presidential candidate for #Halalan2022 after Aksyon Demokratiko chairman Ernest Ramel said that the Pasig City Mayor was part of the group who OK’d Manila Mayor @IskoMoreno’s pitch to become standard bearer. pic.twitter.com/pbvUDTYUmr

— Kat Domingo (@_katrinadomingo) February 15, 2022

In a separate interview, Mayor Sotto denied that he is endorsing any candidate, and maintained his earlier pronouncement that he prefers to stay away from national politics.

"Sabi ko sa kanila, hindi na muna ako mangingialam sa national politics kasi medyo matindi yung ginagawa natin dito sa local. And they said, 'Okay'. They agreed," Sotto told ABS-CBN News.

(I told them I will not meddle in national politics because what we are doing in the local government is quite challenging. And they said, 'Okay'. They agreed.)

"I know some people may criticize me for not wanting to be involved in national politics. But those people who criticize me for that don't understand the kind of battles that we are facing here in the local government of Pasig," he said.

"Hindi biro yung ginagawa namin dito na nililinis namin ang pamahalaan. We have decades-old institutionalized corruption here."

(The internal government cleansing we are doing here is no joke. We have decades-old institutionalized corruption here.)

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