Dr. Suga Sotto-Yuvienco, Author of the “Cultural Historical Affairs Commission”

Doctor Suga Sotto-Yuvienco, the first woman surgeon of Cebu and lone female councilor in the pre-EDSA City Council authored the ordinance instituting the Cultural Historical Affairs Commission more known as CHAC. The office is housed at the second floor of the Rizal Memorial Building. The first floor houses the city library. City Ordinance No. 1098 was enacted on March 30, 1981.

Another legislation of Dr. Suga, who was a member of the city council from Mach 1980 to March 1986, was the “Ordinance providing funds for the Home Development Mutual Fund to provide housing for qualified government employees of the City of Cebu otherwise known as Pag-Ibig Fund.” She also authored the ordinance regulating and controlling the discharge of industrial and other wastes into the atmospheric air or body of water within the territorial limits of the City of Cebu.

On April 16, 1984 she sponsored the approval of the ordinance establishing a residency training program at the Cebu City Hospital. It was also Dr. Suga who renamed the Rizal Memorial Library to the Rizal Memorial Library and Museum with City Ordinance No. 1172, which was enacted on July 16, 1984.

She also authored numerous ordinances strengthening and improving the Cebu City Hospital. Doctor Suga also authored the following street-naming ordinances: Abuno Street to Filemon Zapanta Street, Tambis Street to Anunciation B. Aznar Street, Marcelo V. Regner Street and Cesar Filoteo Street.

Doctor Suga was born on February 21, 1919 and died on May 29, 2017. She is the youngest daughter of Don Vicente Yap Sotto of Cebu City and Maria Ojeda of Dumanjug, Cebu. Her siblings were Galileo, Voltaire, Tagakotta, Britania, Marcelino (nicknamed Nonong, father of Valmar, Vicente “Tito,” presently the Senate President, Marcelino “Maru,” and Marvic “Vic”).

Doctor Suga married Merito who was also a surgeon, their children were Minerva, Merito, Eugene, Christopher, and Jose Mari. Doctor Suga is the also the founding president of the Zonta Club of Cebu 1 and the Cebu Chapter of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society. She spearheaded the establishment of the “Pink Room,” the women and children’s crisis center within the compound of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, the only center of its kind outside of Manila.