Acclaimed author Danton Remoto couldn’t be prouder to have been Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto’s teacher when he was a freshman at the Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU).
In an essay titled, “Vico Sotto: From The Ateneo Classroom To The World” posted on onenews.ph, Remoto recalled how the 31-year-old mayor stood out early on in his Introduction to Poetry and Research paper classes.
“In his classes, Vico always listened with rapt attention, looking at the teacher with hardly any movement, and only moved to take notes. He soaked up everything like a sponge,” Remoto said.
The former ADMU professor described Sotto, who graduated with a political science degree, as someone who was “clearly heads and shoulders above the rest of the class.
“During recitation time, I would call the students, and when no one could answer one particularly difficult question, my eyes would automatically look at the quiet student in the middle of the class, and call Vico to recite. He never failed,” he said.
Remoto said he once teased Sotto about starring in the movies due to his good looks and famous background, but his student told him he had his sights on taking up a master’s degree in governance after graduating from college.
It comes as no surprise to Remoto that Sotto eventually entered politics. He said he’s looking forward to the great things his former student will do in the future.
“My gray hair will be as proud if, one day, he runs for congressman, then senator, then president of this land. God knows we need well-trained leaders whose decisions are based on data and evidence, and whose heart is in the right place,” Remoto said.
