MANILA - Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto on Friday said Pasig City has saved at least P1.2 billion after a more transparent bidding process for government projects was implemented in the city.

Pasig City has been training government officials in charge of the city's public bidding as well as technical observers since Sotto rose to power in 2019, toppling the decades-long rule of the Eusebio dynasty.

"Mula July 2019, marami na tayong napagtagumpayang reporma sa ating LGU: Binuksan natin ang bidding para puwedeng manalo ang kahit sinong contractor na kwalipikado. Walang kickback kaya bumababa ang presyo," Sotto said in a social media post.

(Since July 2019, we have successfully reformed our local government unit: We opened bidding to the public so that any qualified contractor would have a chance to win. We saved money because there are no kickbacks.)

"Dahil dito, nasa 1.2 B PISO na ang natipid ng pamahalaang panlungsod natin," he said.

(Because of this, our city government has saved P1.2 billion.)

• Pasig City saves over P150-M with 'honest bidding' says Vico Sotto

The local government plans to "establish a pool of capable civil society organization (CSO) observers" to further reform Pasig's bidding process, the mayor said.

"Gusto natin maraming mata pero dapat may teknikal na kapasidad, hindi yung nakikitsismis lang," he said.

(We want to have a lot of observers but they must have the technical capacity and are not just rumormongers.)

Last year, a portion of Pasig City's savings was used to procure gadgets for 138,000 local public-school children who were forced to study at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Vico Sotto explains why Pasig has budget to buy gadgets for distance learning

Sotto - a millennial mayor who pushed for the passage of a Freedom of Information law in Pasig - was recently named an "anticorruption champion" by the US State Department.

• Vico Sotto named 'anticorruption champion' by US State Department

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv