With the intention to inform the constituents of the province that the government is working for their benefit and welfare, early in the year 2000, during the last term of Gov. Pablo Garcia, the Sugbo Newsletter was born. It was a joint project by the Province of Cebu and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with the latter footing the cost of the printing.
The publication was a quarterly four-page newsletter in white bond broadsheet that ran feature stories on the projects of the Cebu provincial government and of JICA in the province. The newsletter was mainly distributed in Capitol offices and the local government units which are JICA beneficiaries.
When Gov. Gwen Garcia was elected as the first woman governor, one of her programs of her 12-point agenda was to expand and strengthen the information and communication base of the Province. The Sugbo Newsletter was redesigned and, Sugbo came out in a 16-page full-colored print with more photos, wider news coverage and more feature stories published monthly. It carried the banner “Bag-ong Panglantaw” in its masthead. This time, it was solely the province of Cebu that shouldered the cost for its printing.
In its September 2007 issue, Sugbo grew to a 20-page publication and included news stories on the governor’s trips abroad, updates and stories focusing on projects in line with the administration’s12-point agenda, tourism packages like the Suroy Suroy Sugbo, kid’s corner, personality profiles and many more.
Its circulation also widened from 10,000 copies in 2007 to 30,000 copies in 2010. It is now being circulated in all the elementary and high schools in the province, all the local government units, neighboring provinces in the country, hotels, seaports, airports and other public places.
Starting January, this year, Sugbo News will come out bi-monthly, and will also now be seen in prime newsstands in Metro Cebu and the Province.
This year, Sugbo News raises the bar in delivering news and stories that not only inform, but inspire, stories that celebrate the Cebuano spirit, that showcase the Cebuano to the country and the world, stories replete with hope for a better future for us Cebuanos and Filipinos.
(Thanks to Roger Serna and Bess Francia for the info and edits.)
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