City launches 'BARUGG' newsletter

CEBU, Philippines - The city government yesterday launched its “first ever official newsletter” called BARUGG, which stands for Bayanihan Advocates Rallying for Unity and Good Governance.

Mayor Michael Rama said the monthly newsletter would make the city government more transparent by updating Cebu City residents of City Hall’s affairs and transactions.

The newsletter will be produced by the Public Information Office headed by Carlo Dugaduga. Rama said an official newsletter also shows that the city’s public information office is functioning.

Dugaduga said BARUGG was born out of the city’s desire have residents access to vital information, especially those from various departments at City Hall that provide frontline services. All offices and departments will be contributing articles on the status of their operation or announcements to the public.

The newsletter will be distributed to all offices at City Hall and to all barangays in the city. Each barangay will be given 100 copies.

The first round of printing cost the PIO some P124,000, which was charged against the mayor’s discretionary fund. Dugaduga said PIO will also look for other sources of funds to sustain the newsletter.

The first issue of BARUGG features several “firsts” at City Hall since Rama assumed as mayor last year.

It includes Rama’s first 100 days report, profiles of the department heads, and reports of activities initiated by the city government.

Councilor Nida Cabrera said she hopes that the newsletter will feature stories about the environment to help promote environment sustainability, as well as stories that are in Cebuano for the benefit of residents who may not have a good grasp of the English language.

Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias, meanwhile, proposed to upload articles in the newsletter to the city government’s official website to take advantage of technology.

Secretary to the Mayor Belinda Navascues said that with the newsletter in place, PIO will now work on establishing its own radio program that will be aired throughout Cebu City.

“The radio and TV programs are already being cooked. We are looking on making the radio lab a priority for funding. We hope that through this, the whole world will know what’s special about Cebu,” she said. (FREEMAN NEWS)