2025 Pasig Local Elections

Local elections were held in Pasig on Monday, May 12, 2025, as part of the 2025 Philippine general election. The electorate will elect a mayor, a vice mayor, twelve members of the Pasig City Council, and one representative to the House of Representatives of the Philippines. The officials elected in the election will assume their respective offices on June 30, 2025, for a three-year-long term.

The election is primarily contested around the two rival tickets Giting ng Pasig headed by the reelectionist Mayor Vico Sotto, and Team Kaya This, headed by businesswoman Sarah Discaya. Sotto is running for this third and final term as Mayor of Pasig, having been in office since 2019.

Background

Several graft cases have been filed against incumbent mayor Vico Sotto, the first ones he has faced in his political career, which he believes are politically motivated. The cases stem from allegedly distributing shirts instead of cash allowances to city hall employees, and for allegedly giving an illegal tax discount to telco company Converge ICT. In addition, a petition for a temporary restraining order has also been filed against the implementation of Mayor Sotto's flagship project, the ₱9.6-billion reconstruction of the Pasig City Hall Complex.

Candidates

Note: Candidates in ''italics'' indicate incumbents seeking reelection.

Administration coalition

Primary opposition coalition

Other candidates

;Notes

Campaign

Discaya is campaigning on a platform centered on increased infrastructure spending, with the goal of transforming Pasig into a "smart city." She has outlined plans for several major projects aimed at improving the quality of life for residents. Discaya also said she was compelled to run for mayor in response to what she described as Mayor Sotto's "baseless" accusations against her construction company. Additionally, she has criticized Sotto for prioritizing "good governance" over essential services such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure development.

Mayor Sotto has also criticized a concert held by the St. Gerrard Construction Charity Foundation, led by Curlee Discaya and his wife Sarah, for not securing permits from the city hall, which were countered by the foundation's insistence that it was held within the private Arcovia City estate. The aforementioned couple's St. Gerrard Construction and Development Corporation have previously had their projects in Barangay Bambang suspended by Mayor Sotto for lack of building permits and violating the terms of one of their approved permits. In 2020, the firm was also blacklisted from all government projects by the Department of Public Works and Highways for a period of one year for missing project deadlines.

Meanwhile, the Discayas, former city councilor Mario Concepcion Jr., and former Bambang barangay captain Reynaldo Samson Jr. have joined the ruling Partido Federal ng Pilipinas in anticipation of a 2025 run. The party has regarded Sarah Discaya, through her charity work in the city, as a "winnable mayoral candidate".

Mayoral election

Incumbent mayor Vico Sotto is on his second consecutive term, having won his reelection bid in 2022. He is eligible to run for a third and final consecutive term.

Candidates

* Sarah Discaya, chief financial officer of St. Gerrard Construction Corp.
* Vico Sotto, incumbent mayor

Results

Controversies

On April 14, 2025, Mayor Sotto publicly claimed that his challenger, Sarah Discaya, used a British passport earlier that year—an allegation that, he argued, could raise questions about her eligibility to run for public office under Republic Act (RA) No. 9225. Sotto said he received reports about Discaya's January flight details but opted not to pursue a disqualification case, asserting his desire to distance his campaign from traditional political tactics. In response, Discaya's legal counsel maintained that she is a dual citizen by birth—born in London to Filipino parents—and therefore not subject to RA 9225's renunciation requirement, citing a 2022 Supreme Court ruling.

Vice mayoral election

Incumbent vice mayor Robert Jaworski Jr. is on his first term, having won his seat in the 2022 Pasig local elections. He is eligible to run for his second consecutive term.

Candidates

* Robert Jaworski Jr., incumbent vice mayor
* Iyo Caruncho Bernardo, 2022 mayoral candidate, former vice mayor (2013–2022)

Results

City Council election

The Pasig City Council has 14 members, 12 of which are elected via plurality block voting for three-year terms. It is divided into two city council districts, with six councilors each.

First District

The first city council district is composed of the western and southern barangays of the city, namely Bagong Ilog, Bagong Katipunan, Bambang, Buting, Caniogan, Kalawaan, Kapasigan, Kapitolyo, Malinao, Oranbo, Palatiw, Pineda, Sagad, San Antonio, San Joaquin, San Jose, San Nicolas, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Santo Tomas, Sumilang, and Ugong.

The administration coalition won a majority of the district's seats in 2022, winning five of the six contested seats.

Term-limited councilors
* Reggie Balderama

Results

Second District

The second city council district is composed of the northern and eastern barangays of the city, namely Dela Paz, Manggahan, Maybunga, Pinagbuhatan, Rosario, San Miguel, Santa Lucia, and Santolan.

The administration coalition won a majority of the district's seats in 2022, winning five of the six contested seats.

Term-limited councilors
* Corie Raymundo

Results

House of Representatives election

The city elects one representative to the House of Representatives. The incumbent is Roman Romulo, who is on his second consecutive term. He is eligible to run for a third and final consecutive term.

Candidates

* Roman Romulo, incumbent representative
* Ian Sia, former 1st district councilor (2010–2016), 2022 vice mayoral candidate.

Results

Disqualification of Christian Sia

On April 2, 2025, Christian Sia drew controversy during a campaign rally in barangay Pinagbuhatan after making sexually suggestive remarks towards single mothers. He jokingly offered women who still menstruate and are lonely the opportunity to sleep with him once a year, later clarifying that he was married and that the comments were just a joke.

Videos and clips of his speech soon went viral on social media drawing widespread condemnation from various groups and political figures. Organizations such as the women’s rights group Gabriela, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Philippine Commission on Women, among others, issued statements denouncing his remarks. On April 5, 2025, Sia apologized in a press conference for his remarks about single mothers, acknowledged that his comments were a poor choice and inappropriate in the context of a political campaign, but blamed the uploader of the video. The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) issued a show-cause order, citing possible violations of anti-discrimination rules. The Solo Parents Party-list filed a complaint, and Sia was suspended from campaign activities for three days by his party. In response to his comments, the Solo Parents Partylist has filed a formal complaint against Sia with the COMELEC. Sia has also been barred from joining any more campaign events for three days by his party.

On April 8, 2025, while campaigning in barangay Sagad, Sia made another controversial remark, this time perceived as body-shaming towards a former female staff member, commenting on her weight gain after changing employers. This incident led the COMELEC to issue a second show-cause order on April 8, 2025, requiring Sia to explain why he should not be charged with an election offense or disqualification, citing potential violations of anti-discrimination and fair campaigning guidelines.

COMELEC's second division disqualified Sia on May 7, 2025, five days before the election.

Notes

References

{{Metro Manila elections

2025 elections in Metro Manila
2025 Philippine local elections