Garcia dissolves broadcast arm

CEBU, Philippines — The Sugboanon Channel, the broadcasting arm established under the leadership of former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama, has shut down its operations but assured that no resources have been wasted.

Yesterday, the Sugboanon Channel Facebook page announced that it would be “signing off” and encouraged followers to switch to the Cebu City Public Information Office (PIO) page instead.

In a message to The Freeman, its outgoing operations head, Cerwin Eviota, confirmed that the Sugboanon Channel “no longer exists” and, therefore, there is “nothing to head anymore.”

The Freeman reached out to Rama, who said he would prefer not to comment on a channel that he is “no longer being interviewed” for.

Prior to his suspension and dismissal, Rama had a regular program on the page titled Ingna’ng Mayor.

According to Eviota, the channel was dissolved by Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and will be merged with the official PIO. He added that PIO chief Ramil Ayuman wanted the integration of both information pages to establish a single identity.

While admitting to being “sentimental” about a page that was created from scratch with personal creativity, Eviota accepted the dissolution of their “professionally” managed channel and opted not to air his personal views.

“As good soldiers do, we follow orders,” he said.

He added that he does not have a problem with the changes.

Looking back, Eviota recalled the formation of the broadcasting unit, which followed the instructions of the Cebu City mayor at the time–Rama. He added that he started the concept and developed it until it came full circle.

“Of course, with the help and better minds of what started as an eight-man team of professionals I admire so much,” he said, crediting his team’s contributions.

Despite the abolition of the channel, Eviota assured that no resources were wasted since the city owns most of the equipment. He explained that the “vital ones” were on loan from the private sector.

He further assured that the PIO would maximize the use of the equipment and added that he trusted the judgment of Ayuman, whom he described as a “media veteran and a leader,” saying Ayuman would have a better approach to the broadcasting aspect.

Of the eight members, three will return to the PIO, three opted not to renew their contracts and have already ceased employment with the city government, and one is being reassigned to another office.

The office and studio of the Sugboanon Channel, located at the Satellite Office of Cebu City Hall across from the main office, will now serve as the main office of the PIO.

Eviota, on the other hand, said he would still be serving the city and hinted at taking on a new role, which he said, if realized, could be valuable to the city.

“Nothing official yet, only discussions, and I am waiting for a written order,” he said.

He added that he had already started laying the groundwork by developing the concept.

The Sugboanon Channel, part of the People’s Progressive Radio Media Network (PPRMN), was a publicly funded digital platform operating independently from the Cebu City PIO. It featured teleradio segments aimed at airing the programs of the Cebu City Government.

The official Facebook page was created on August 1, 2023, and two weeks later, the channel was officially launched. Eviota said concept development began in January 2023 after he transitioned from being PIO to Special Assistant to the Mayor for Communication. – ATO (CEBU NEWS)