Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto and Filipino-Canadian actor Manny Jacinto have been named among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential rising stars of 2025.
Sotto was recognized in the leaders category for his anti-corruption efforts in local governance. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, who penned the citation, praised Sotto’s “radical transparency” in office, including a 24/7 information and complaints hotline, livestreamed procurement processes, and reduced project costs through the elimination of kickbacks.
“In the Philippines, fighting corruption feels like death by a thousand cuts—each small victory eroded by the system’s capacity to regenerate. But Vico Sotto is proving it can be done,” Ressa wrote.
She also lauded his COVID-19 response, noting his data-driven and empathetic approach as “a master class in modern, ethical leadership.”
Jacinto, meanwhile, was listed in the artists category. Emmy-winning writer Alan Yang highlighted the actor’s range and character, citing his breakout role as Jason Mendoza in “The Good Place,” his turn as Qimir in “The Acolyte,” and his performance in “Freakier Friday.” Yang described Jacinto as “fundamentally, elementally, constitutionally good” and praised his loyalty to family and wife, actress Dianne Doan.
TIME100 Next was launched in 2019 to spotlight emerging leaders worldwide.
