Why Cebu Capitol runs Sugbo News, as part of the LGU’s media.
Why Cebu Capitol runs Sugbo News, as part of the LGU’s media.
BY SUGBO NEWS
(The Capitol Public Information Office, along with the Cebu City P.I.O., was asked by CJJ NewsMedia. months before the 2022 Cebu Press Freedom Week, for information about itself. Here’s what it submitted Oct. 5, 2022.)
Some indicators of its success: Other LGUs are “following” the format of Sugbo News in publishing information and mainstream media uses it as a major news source.
PUBLIC information dissemination is a critical part of governance. Admittedly, mainstream media cannot channel all the information that the public needs to know from the government’s perspective.
Hence the need for the government to form its own media organization that aims to effectively create public awareness and acceptance of its policies and programs and work to improve the image of government.
From print to TV to digital platforms
“Sugbo News,” the official news arm of the Cebu Provincial Government, was created during Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s first three terms in office. It started as print media and eventually transitioned to a now defunct television channel.
During Governor Garcia’s return to Capitol in 2019 after six years in Congress, Sugbo News was revived, but this time, in digital platforms of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and, underway, a website. These have been found to be more effective and cheaper ways of communicating to the public that is now spending more and more time on their gadgets rather than read the paper or watch television.
Manned by professional “creatives” at the Cebu Provincial Information Office, a division of the Provincial Governor’s Office, Sugbo News documented Cebu Province’s accomplishments during the first 100 days after the return of the governor in office for a fourth term in 2019, and has never looked back since then.
Promo materials of Sugbo News for some of its live news feed.
Sugbo News staple output
Its staple output consists of regular news in English (posted on social media as soon as they happen) and a Cebuano version of the news with video support for a wider reach among the masses. It also produces special features and audio-visual presentations featuring Capitol’s accomplishments in targets on infrastructure development and delivery of basic services to constituents, policies, and events.
Live-streaming, vlogging
Sugbo News has continually expanded to now include live streaming coverage of Capitol’s important meetings, agreement signings, and programs; as well as Capitol officials’ visits to the municipalities and component cities bringing various programs such as the quarterly holding of Caravan of Provincial Government Services, ground-breaking and inauguration of public infrastructures, implementation of Sugbusog program, Sugbo Negosyo, Sugbo Kahanas, Dasig Sugbo, among others. This gives the public a better perspective of how government programs are implemented.
One of the highlights in 2021 was the live coverage of the Provincial Board’s special session when members of the national government’s Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) was summoned.
Sugbo News has also adopted vlogging, the more preferred format of this generation’s digital consumption, when it comes to packaging its news contents and human-interest stories without at all losing any of its journalistic discipline.
The recent and most notable conduct of live feeds during live programs was the recently concluded Pasigarbo sa Sugbo ritual showdown on Aug. 28. Sugbo News’ live feed on Facebook generated over a million views, facilitating the casting of online votes of over 116 thousand viewers from all over the world.
Mainstream media’s source
Sugbo News has also become a source of news stories for the mainstream media, both local and national. Recently, public information offices of local government units outside Cebu have come to observe and are following Sugbo News’ format as an effective way to carry out their functions as the government’s promotional and information arm.
What started as a traditional social media platform has slowly evolved to reflect the signs of the constantly changing times.
They see a gov’t. working
But one thing remains constant: Sugbo News ensures that Cebuanos get to see that their government is working for them, blazing trails for other local government units to follow, even during the darkest times of the pandemic and Super typhoon Odette, —until the province sees once more the beautiful sunshine of normalcy. 