Sotero "Terong" Barte Cabahug (April 22, 1891 – December 15, 1963) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

lawyer, legislator, politician, and civil servant from

Mandaue Mandaue (), officially the City of Mandaue ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Mandaue; fil, Lungsod ng Mandaue), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 364,116 ...

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...

, Philippines. He was awarded

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

with the rank of Commander. He was

governor of Cebu The governor of Cebu ( fil, Punong Lalawigan ng Cebu) is the chief executive of the provincial government of Cebu, Philippines. The first governor appointed by the Spanish Crown was Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, and during the American Era, Julio Ll ...

(1934–1937), member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

for Cebu's 2nd district for two consecutive terms (1928–1934), Secretary of Public Works and Communications (1945–1946), member of the Cebu Provincial Board (1952–1954), the 9th Secretary of National Defense (1954–1956), and associate justice of the

Court of Appeals A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

(1956–1961).

Early life

Sotero Cabahug was born to the farming family of Narciso Cabahug and Cirila Barte in Mandaue, Cebu on April 22, 1891.'''' He attended public schools in Mandaue, Colegio-Seminario de San Carlos, and San de Letran College in Manila. As a student, he earned recognition for being a consistent honor student, scholarship, and educational medals. Earning a bachelor's degree, he acquired a Licentiate in Jurisprudence at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...

, graduating with ''mertissimus.'' His marriage to Vicenta Labucay, daughter of prominent Cebu businessman Estanislau Labucay, bore nine children and the family lived in Diliman,

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

.'''' He was the brother of Fructuoso Cabahug who was appointed governor of Cebu by the American military government from 1945 until 1946.

Elmer Cabahug Elmer "Boy" Cabahug (born June 1, 1964 in Cebu City, Philippines) is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association and the former head coach of the University of the Visayas Green Lancers varsity team. ...

, professional

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

player and

University of Visayas The University of the Visayas (UV) is a private institution located in Cebu City, Philippines. It is the first school in the province of Cebu to attain university status. History Vicente Gullas (1898–1970) founded the University of the Visa ...

basketball team coach, was his great grandchild.

Career in government

A lawyer by profession, Sotero Cabahug was the Justice of the Peace in Surigao (1917–1918) and Cebu deputy provincial

fiscal Fiscal usually refers to government finance. In this context, it may refer to: Economics * Fiscal policy, use of government expenditure to influence economic development * Fiscal policy debate * Fiscal adjustment, a reduction in the government ...

(1918–1919). In 1920, he became councilor of the municipality of Mandaue until 1925 and was acting municipal president.

House of Representative

He was elected as member of the House of Representative of the

8th Philippine Legislature The Eighth Philippine Legislature was the meeting of the legislature of the Philippine Islands under the sovereign control of the United States from 1928 to 1930. Members Senate Notes House of Representatives Notes See also *Congr ...

representing Cebu's 2nd district starting in 1928, and he was reelected for another term and served from 1931 until 1934. He authored the law that criminalized disrespectful acts towards the

National Anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

Governor of Cebu

By 1934, Cabahug was voted as the governor of Cebu province until 1937 and started the construction of several landmarks in Cebu. The construction of the

Cebu Provincial Capitol The Cebu Provincial Capitol is the seat of the provincial government of Cebu in the Philippines. Located at the north end of Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City, it was designed by Juan M. Arellano, a Filipino architect best known for the Manila Metropo ...

began during his stint, as well as the building of roads and bridges (particularly the bridges in

Argao Argao, officially the Municipality of Argao ( ceb, Lungsod sa Argao; tgl, Bayan ng Argao), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,187 people. Geography The munic ...

, Cebu), Mandaue Municipal Hall (commonly known as

Mandaue Presidencia The Mandaue City Hall, commonly referred to as Mandaue Presidencia, is admixture of the Neo-Grec and Art Deco stylistic movement building that serves as the seat of government for the city of Mandaue, Philippines The Philippines (; fil, ...

Rizal Memorial Library and Museum Rizal Memorial Library and Museum is a three-story, pre-war, neoclassical heritage site and landmark in Cebu City, Philippines. Dedicated to the national hero, Jose P. Rizal, it was designed by Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano, who also desig ...

, TB Pavilion of Southern Islands Hospital (now

Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) is a government-owned hospital in Cebu City, Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), ...

), and Cebu Junior College of

University of the Philippines Cebu The University of the Philippines Cebu (; ; also referred to as UPC or UP Cebu) is a public research university and the youngest constituent university of the University of the Philippines System located in Cebu City, the capital city of Cebu pr ...

campus. The Cebu Provincial Capitol was completed in 1937 during the administration of Governor

Buenaventura Rodriguez Buenaventura Perez Rodriguez (July 14, 1893 – December 9, 1940) was a playwright, the governor of Cebu, Philippines from 1937 until 1940, and a member of the House of Representatives for two terms. He was the first Cebu governor of the Philipp ...

, who succeeded him. He also led the purchase and donation of an airplane named "Spirit of Cebu" to the

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) ( Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the ...

, the funds for which were voluntarily contributed by the Cebuano people. During the inauguration of

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...

, he was present and the following is part of the message he delivered during the occasion.

"On the eve of the inauguration of the City of Cebu, I wish to congratulate the City Officials and to wish them success in their administration. There are, doubtless, many things that should be done which ought to have been done long ago for the improvement of this City if time and circumstances would have permitted. We all hope that what was left undone will command the attention of the new City Officials so that we may become truly proud of this second metropolis of the Philippines."

Civil service

From 1938 to 1945, he served as judge of the Court of First Instance for the provinces of

Negros Oriental Negros Oriental ( ceb, Sidlakang Negros; tl, Silangang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete. It occupies the southeaste ...

and

Siquijor Siquijor ( , ), officially the Province of Siquijor ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Siquijor; tl, Lalawigan ng Siquijor), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the municipality also named Siquijor ...

. In 1945, he worked served as technical assistant to the President and judge of the Court of First Instance for the province of

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

. Additionally, he was appointed as the Secretary of Public Works and Communications from 1945 to 1946.

Cebu Provincial Board

Then in 1952, he was elected as member of the Cebu Provincial Board during the governorship of Sergio Osmeña Jr. and served until 1954. He initiated the plans for the construction of Palace of Justice annexed to the Capitol, but construction began decades later.

9th Secretary of National Defense

Afterwards, he worked as Administrator of Economic Coordination and as the 9th Secretary of National Defense, of which he remained until 1956. During his time as the head of the

Department of National Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

, he had overseen the building of

Veterans Memorial Medical Center The Veterans Memorial Medical Center (formerly known as Veterans Memorial Hospital) was established in 1955 with full US Government assistance under the US Veterans Administration to provide quality hospitalization, medical care and treatment t ...

and the execution of the program for rural development under the administrations of President

Ramon Magsaysay Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh president of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957. An automo ...

and later, of President

Carlos P. Garcia Carlos Polestico Garcia (November 4, 1896 – June 14, 1971) was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political economist, guerrilla and Commonwealth military leader who was the eighth president of the Philippines. A l ...

. On October 14, 1954, he conferred the second

award to

Benigno Aquino Jr. Benigno "Ninoy" Simeon Aquino Jr., (; November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Filipino politician who served as a senator of the Philippines (1967–1972) and governor of the province of Tarlac. Aquino was the husband of Corazon Aquino ...

for the latter's successful achievement in bringing insurgent

Luis Taruc Luis Mangalus Taruc (; June 21, 1913 – May 4, 2005) was a Filipino political figure and rebel during the agrarian unrest of the 1930s until the end of the Cold War. He was the leader of the Hukbalahap group (from ''Hukbong Bayan Laban sa ...

down from the hills to surrender.

Court of Appeals

In 1956, he was appointed as

Associate justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

of the

''Ex-officio'' positions

Aside from being a statesman who served the three branches of the government, he held the following ''ex-officio'' positions: Presidential Committee on the Minimum Wage, Member of the Export Control Committee, chairman of the board of directors,

National Power Corporation The National Power Corporation ( fil, Pambansang Korporasyon sa Elektrisidad, also known as Napocor, NPC or National Power), is a Philippine government-owned and controlled corporation that is mandated to provide electricity to all rural areas of ...

and Metropolitan Water of District,

Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party (Filipino and Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; ) is the oldest political party in both the Philippines and in Southeast Asia in general. It is responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th ce ...

Directorate in Cebu, and Member of the Nacionalista Directorate and Executive Committee.

Journalism

Together with Cipriano Parba and Eliseo Dejoras, he published the

periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also examples ...

''Babaye (Woman)'' which saw print from April 26, 1930 until 1940. Its founding editor, Napoleon Dejoras, was his personal secretary before Dejoras became a lawyer.

Later years

Cabahug was later awarded

with the rank of Commander. On December 15, 1963, he died at the Veterans Memorial Hospital,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Historical commemoration

*Camp Sotero Cabahug was named after him. It houses the Cebu City Police Office, CIDG, Traffic Group, PNP Regional Crime Laboratory. *The Justice Sotero B. Cabahug Medal for Academic Excellence is an annual award recognizing outstanding constituents in Mandaue in the field of education. The first recognition was awarded in 1923. *

Museo Sugbo Museo Sugbo ("Sugbo Museum") is the Cebu Provincial Museum located in the former Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), four blocks from Plaza Independencia. History As a prison Museo Sugbo is housed in what was once called ...

contains some of his memorabilia. *Streets located in Mandaue City and

were named after him. Sotero B. Cabahug Street in Cebu City starts from Pope John Paul II Avenue running eastward parallel from Juanito Diola Street.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabahug, Sotero 1891 births 1963 deaths Justices of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines 20th-century Filipino lawyers Members of the Philippine Legislature Nacionalista Party politicians University of San Carlos alumni Visayan people Cebuano people Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Cebu Governors of Cebu People from Cebu Members of the Cebu Provincial Board Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni Secretaries of National Defense of the Philippines Secretaries of Public Works and Highways of the Philippines Filipino judges Magsaysay administration cabinet members Roxas administration cabinet members Osmeña administration cabinet members