Tito Sotto is a Filipino actor, comedian, and politician. He served as Senate President of the Republic of the Philippines. Previously, he made a name as a comedian together with his brother Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon. The trio, popularly known as Tito, Vic and Joey, became the main host of the long-time noontime show Eat Bulaga!

Latest Update

Senator Sotto ran for vice president with fellow Senator Ping Lacson as his running mate for president in the May 9, 2022 national and local election but lost to Sara Duterte.

Personal Information
Real Name –> Vicente Castelo Sotto III
Nickname –> Tito
Birthdate –> August 24, 1948 (age 74)
Birthplace –> Manila, Philippines

Net Worth –> 85 million (as of December 31, 2020)

Family
Wife – Helen Gamboa (Beauty queen, singer and actress)
Children – Romina, Diorella “Lala” Maria, Gian Carlo and Ciara
Father –> Marcelino Antonio Ojeda Sotto
Mother –> Dr. Herminia Castelo
Brothers –> Valmar (born 1945), Marvic Valentin (born 1954), and Marcelino Antonio Jr.
Grandfather – former senator Vicente Sotto (1877–1950)
Grand Uncle – Filemon (1872–1966) (Brother of Vicente)
Nephews – Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, Oyo Boy Sotto, Miko Sotto (1982–2003)
Niece – Danica Sotto
Sister-in-law – Ali Sotto
* Megastar Sharon Cuneta is the daughter of Elaine Gamboa, the sister of Tito’s wife Helen

Education
Elementary and High School –> Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila
College –> Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila
Degree –> Bachelor of Arts major in English

Showbiz Career
Tito Sotto started his career in the entertainment industry in the 1960s when he became a member of the band Tilt Down Men. Later, he was appointed Vice President of Vicor Music Corporation of Orly Ilacad. In 1986, his composition “Magkaisa” became the anthem of the 1986 People Power Revolution.

Television Programs
1979-Present – Eat Bulaga! (Since he became senator in 1992, he only appears in the show on some occasions)
1978-1990 – Iskul Bukol
1989 – TVJ: Television’s Jesters
1975 – Discorama

Movie List
1985 – Doctor, Doctor, We Are Sick
1984 – Naku Ha!
1981 – D’Gradwets

Political Career
2018-Present – Senate President
1992-2004, 2010-present – Senator (Term ends in 2022)
2008 – Board of Directors and acting chairman, Dangerous Drugs Board
1988-1992 – Vice Mayor, Quezon City

* As vice mayor, he founded the Vice Mayor’s League of the Philippines and served its first president
* In his first senate bid in 1992, he was no. 1 with more than 3 million votes over the second place candidate.
* In 2001, he supported fellow actor Joseph Estrada against those calling for his resignation. Later, he became a supporter of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who replaced Estrada as president.
* In 2007, he ran for the senate but failed to win with a 19th place.
* In 2010, he placed 9th in the senate election and became the Majority Floor Leader as well as chairman of the Committee on Rules
* In 2013, he became the Minority Floor leader following the resignation of Juan Ponce Enrile as Senate President
* In 2016, he won third placed with more than 17 million votes

Important Laws Authored
Republic Act 9165 – Creation of the Philippine drug Enforcement Agency
Republic Act 8369 – Creation of Family Court
Republic Act 8550 – Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Code

Advocacy
Tito Sotto is against artificial birth control and some other rights for women and the LGBT group but he is for the imposition of the Death Penalty for high level drug trafficking.

Tito is saying “No” to transgenders using women’s toilet.

Scandals and Controversies
1. Pepsi Paloma rape case
Tito Sotto was alleged to have influenced the outcome of the case of actress Pepsi Paloma who accused his brother Vic Sotto and two others of raping her in 1982. Paloma was found dead three years later and his manager Rey de la cruz was also murdered a few years later. Tito denied the allegation.

In 2018, Tito Sotto, already elected as Senate President asked the online news site Inquirer.net to remove from its website the articles entitled “The rape of Pepsi Paloma” and “Was Pepsi Paloma murdered?” by US-based writer Rodel Rodis. The articles detailed how Tito was connected to the case. The website later obliged but many journalists condemned the removal.

2. Plagiarism Issue
In 2012 during the height of the debates on the Reproductive Health Bill then Senator Tito Sotto delivered a speech opposing the bill. The speech was apparently lifted from the 1966 Day of Affirmation speech of the late American Senator Robert F. Kennedy without mentioning the source. Although he apologized, Tito still denies that there was plagiarism because he merely translated it into Filipino.

3. Single Parent Issue
In 2017 during the confirmation hearing of Judy Taguiwalo who was appointed as Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, Majority Leader Tito Sotto made a controversial remark that seems to belittle single parents like Judy as being “na-ano lang” (“just a victim of circumstance”). Not a few took offense, accusing the senator for sexism and misogyny. Later, some women’s groups filed a complaint against the senator at the Senate Committee on Ethics but nothing came out of the complaint.

See also: List of Top Government Officials Under President Duterte

See also: List of Famous Filipino Actors

See also: List of Philippine Senators