Armed with the objective of informing the constituents of the province of Cebu that the government is working for their benefit and welfare, the Sugbo Newsletter was conceptualized early in the year 2000 during the last term of Gov. Pablo Garcia and, not long after, the publication materialized. It was a joint project by the Province of Cebu and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), w
ith the latter footing the printing cost. It was then a quarterly, four-page broadsheet newsletter in white bookpaper that runs 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. Early in 2004, Sugbo came out in a 16-page full colored print with more photos, wider news coverage and more feature stories published monthly. This time, it was solely the province of Cebu that spends for its printing. In its September 2007 issue, Sugbo grew to a 20-page publication and included news stories on the governor’s trip 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 profile and many more. Its circulation has 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. In 2011, Sugbo raises the bar in informing the Cebuano constituents as it came out bimonthly starting January 2011. Sugbo has renamed to Sugbo News and carried its official tagline "Usa ka Panaw, Usa ka Panglantaw,” with its circulation reaching to 60,000 copies and from a 28-page publication in 2010, it has produced a 32-page in circulation. In January 2013, Sugbo News was relaunched under the new administration of Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale with the new name "Cebu Monthly".
