SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — Former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, now seeking a return to the Senate in Eleksyon 2025, announced a campaign promise that drew cheers from local voters: he will donate his full salary as senator to support scholarship programs for underprivileged students.
Speaking at a campaign event in Pampanga attended by the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate, Sotto pledged not to touch a single centavo of his salary for six years if elected.
“If you bring me back to the Senate, with God’s help, I will not take my monthly salary,” Sotto declared. “Instead, we will use it to fund education for poor students. Not even five centavos will go to me.”
The event was one of four local rallies hosted by the provincial government of Pampanga, led by Governor Dennis Pineda, in support of the 11 administration-backed senatorial candidates. Among the full slate, only Panfilo “Ping” Lacson was absent from the campaign activities in the province.
Pampanga, with 1,674,789 registered voters, ranks as the eighth most vote-rich province in the country for the 2025 elections.
Sotto, known for his legislative work and previous stints as Senate President, emphasized the need to uplift marginalized Filipino youth through education, adding that access to learning is a key step toward national progress.
His proposal was warmly welcomed by the Pampanga crowd, many of whom see education as one of the most urgent social needs in their communities.
