Today in Philippine History: Vicente Y. Sotto

APRIL 18, 1887

Vicente Yap Sotto (April 18, 1877 – May 28, 1950), the Father of Cebuano Letters was born in Cebu City. In 1899, he came up with La Justicia and published El Nacional. After his relea.se from prison for his writings he used the pseudonym Taga Kotta and published Ang Suga on June 16, 1901. Sotto was a lawyer, a Cebu municipal council member (1902), elected mayor (1907), a representative of the 2nd District of Cebu (1922) and a senator (1946). He authored the 1946 Press Freedom Law (R.A. No. 53) that protects journalists from naming their sources.

Photo credit: Sen. Tito Sotto by Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC)