Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto and Filipino-Canadian actor Manny Jacinto have both been recognized by TIME magazine as part of its prestigious TIME100 Next 2025: Most Influential Rising Stars.
Launched in 2019, the TIME100 Next list is an offshoot of TIME's annual ranking of the world's most influential people, serving as "an opportunity to recognize those still on the rise" across various fields.
VICO'S EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE
The magazine placed the 36-year-old mayor under the Leaders category.
In a write-up published by TIME on September 30, 2025, written by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, Vico was praised for his effective governance, as well as his efforts to fight corruption and entrenched political dynasties in Pasig City.
Read: NUJP urges journalists to uphold ethics amid Mayor Vico Sotto row
"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. At 36, Pasig City’s mayor has toppled a 27-year family dynasty not through money or machinery, but through radical transparency: a 24/7 information and complaints hotline, public procurement that’s livestreamed, and the slashing of project costs by eliminating kickbacks," Ressa wrote.
Ressa also lauded Vico’s COVID-19 response, noting his data-driven and empathetic approach as “a master class in modern, ethical leadership.”
She added: "First elected in 2019, Sotto wields spreadsheets against both graft and inherited privilege.
"When COVID-19 hit, his clean governance shone: mobile kitchens fed frontliners efficiently, zero-emission buses moved workers without inflated contracts, and aid reached families based on need, not political loyalty.
"His courageous approach—data-driven, direct, and empathetic—is a master class in modern, ethical leadership and has twice won him re-election, including in May.
"It’s a testament to the power of the individual to ignite a movement for change.”
Today, in the wake of the Philippines’ biggest corruption scandal involving public works projects, Vico has emerged as a symbol of the young, principled leadership the country needs.
Read: Philippine Flood Control Corruption: A Timeline
He also played a key role in exposing alleged anomalies in flood control projects linked to his opponent in this year’s midterm mayoral elections, contractor Sarah Discaya.
Read: Vico Sotto warns public not to be deceived by Discayas' lies
Manny's versatility as an actor
Meanwhile, Emmy-winning writer and producer Alan Yang praised Filipino-Canadian actor Manny Jacinto, 38, for both his talent and character.
Manny — known for his roles as Jason Mendoza in the comedy series The Good Place and as Eric Reyes in Freakier Friday — was included in the Artists category.
Yang praised Manny’s growing influence in Hollywood and his ability to balance big-budget blockbusters with meaningful, diverse storytelling.
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He wrote: "One of the greatest joys of my time working in film and TV has been the revelation that talent and kindness aren’t mutually exclusive.
"Manny Jacinto is the perfect example. Sure, he has incredible range as an actor — from performing so-dumb-it’s-smart comedy in The Good Place to pulling off how-did-he-do-that physical feats on The Acolyte to effortlessly charming Lindsay Lohan and moviegoers worldwide in Freakier Friday.
"But more importantly, Manny is fundamentally, elementally, constitutionally good.
"He’s a fiercely loyal friend, dotes on his family (I’ve had Thanksgiving with them, it’s adorable), and loves his wife Dianne more than Star Wars fans love his character Qimir’s bad-ass helmet (it’s an awesome helmet!). Together, they’re a couple so perfect, you might think they were engineered in a lab, if they weren’t also so funny and human.
"My fervent hope is that very, very soon, Manny is starring in the three biggest films of the year and we can say that one of our greatest leading men is also one of our best humans—I wouldn’t bet against him!"
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Other Notable Names on TIME100 Next 2025 List
Aside from Vico Sotto, other leaders recognized in this year’s TIME100 Next 2025 include: Korean-American advocate April Koh; Iceland Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir; CEO of Invest STL Dara Eskridge; United States senator Ruben Gallego; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt; member of the New Zealand Parliament Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke.
CEO of Turning Point USA Erika Kirk; President of Guyana Irfaan Ali; American journalist Bari Weiss; Namibia’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology Emma Theofelus; Thai politician and businessman Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut.
Palestinian activist Issa Amro; American model-filmmaker Sara Ziff; American politician Brandon Scott; US representative Byron Donalds; American investigative reporters Katey Rusch and Casey Smith; Brazilian economist Gabriel Galípolo.
American advocate Neil Vora, American political consultant Alex Bruesewitz; British politician Zack Polanski; Ashiya, Japan Mayor Ryosuke Takashima; Saudi Arabian journalist Jomana R. Alrashid; and American entrepreneur-technologist Shayne Coplan.
Read: Vice Ganda encourages public to normalize calling him “Sir”
Meanwhile, joining Pinoy pride Manny Jacinto in the Artists category are: American singer-actress Becky G; American singer-songwriters Gracie Abrams and Lainey Wilson; American actors Jonathan Bailey and Tramell Tillman.
American singer/songwriter/actress Teyana Taylor; American actress Monica Barbaro; American musician-actor Miles Caton; American musical theater actress Helen J Shen; American comedian Megan Stalter; and American poet-novelist Ocean Vuong.
Read: Lea Salonga among TIME magazine’s TIME100 Impact awardees