Vicente Yap Sotto (born Vicente Sotto y Yap; April 18, 1877 – May 28, 1950) was a Filipino playwright, journalist, and politician who served as a
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from 1946 to 1950. He also served in 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 ...
from 1922 to 1925, representing
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 ...
's
2nd district. He was the main author of the Press Freedom Law (now known as the Sotto Law, Republic Act No. 53).
Personal life
Sotto was born in
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 ...
on April 18, 1877, to Marcelino Sotto and Pascuala Yap. He is the younger brother of
Filemon Sotto
Filemon Yap Sotto (November 22, 1872 – October 10, 1966) was a Filipino Visayan lawyer, legislator, and politician from Cebu, Philippines. He was a newspaper publisher and founded the periodicals ''El Imperial'', ''Ang Kaluwasan'', ''La Opinion ...
. He finished his secondary education at the
University of San Carlos
The University of San Carlos, also referred to by its acronym USC or colloquially shortened to San Carlos, is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational basic and higher education institution administered by the Philippine Southern Province ...
(formerly Colegio de San Carlos), Cebu City. He obtained the degree of Bachelor of Laws in
Letran
The Colegio de San Juan de Letran, (transl: College of San Juan de Letran) also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers i ...
and Judicial Science and studied law in Manila Law College and passed the bar examinations in 1907. Sotto was a member of the
Philippine Independent Church
, native_name_lang = fil
, icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg
, icon_width = 80px
, icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church
, image ...
(also known as the Aglipayan Church) as he saw independence from the Roman Catholic Church as a source of national pride.
Political career
![Vicente Yap Sotto 1917](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Vicente_Yap_Sotto_1917.jpg)
In 1902, Senator Sotto entered politics when he ran for the municipal council of Cebu and won. In 1907, he was elected mayor despite his absence during the election owing to his involvement in a court battle caused by a kidnapping suit lodge against him by his opponent, and was forced to stay in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. Sotto returned to the country in 1914.
In 1922, he was elected representative of the second district of Cebu until 1925. In 1937, he ran for governor of Cebu but lost. In May 1946, he ran for senator and won and served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance until 1950. He served in the Senate until 1950.
Death
When he died on May 28, 1950, at the age of 73, his colleagues in the Senate remembered him as "recalcitrant, principled Sotto."
Contributions
To government and Philippine independence
Sotto was the main author of the Press Freedom Law (now known as the Sotto Law,
Republic Act
This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws.
Sources of Philippine laws
;Notes
: *Customs may be considered as supplementary source of law, however, customs which are contrary to law, public order or public policy shall not be ...
No. 53) enacted in 1946. The Sotto Law protects journalists from being compelled to name their news sources.
In 1899 (then just 22 years old), he put up ''La Justicia'', the first newspaper in Cebu published by a Philippine citizen, in which he defended the issue of Philippine independence. It was suspended on orders by the American military governor.
In the week following, the undaunted Sotto begun publishing ''El Nacional''. This was also ordered closed and Sotto was imprisoned at Fort San Pedro for two months and six days. After this experience, he began using the pen name Taga Kotta (of the fort, or resident of the fort).
He was found guilty of treason as a member of a committee of rebels along with those in Manila and Hong Kong. When he was freed in 1900, he published ''Ang Suga'' (The Light), which was first issued on June 16, 1901.
He organized in Hong Kong in 1911 the English-Spanish fortnightly ''The Philippine Republic''. Its publication was stopped a year later and its editor was arrested. Sotto's extradition was requested three times by the American government but every time it was denied by the British courts. The Philippine Republic resumed publication after a month of suspension.
In 1915, Sotto returned to Manila and begun work on a weekly journal he named ''The Independent''. He issued a special edition of this journal in Paris in 1929. The news item prompted an American senator to introduce a resolution in the United States Senate to grant immediate independence to the Philippines.
To Cebuano culture
Sotto is regarded as the Father of
Cebuano language and letters. He is also considered the father of Cebuano journalism.
Sotto published ''Ang Suga'', the first newspaper in Cebuano in 1900.
Sotto's play ''Paghigugma sa Yutang Natawhan'' (Love of Native Land), dramatized the Cebuano people's heroic struggle against Spanish feudal rule in the modern realist mode. He also wrote the first published Cebuano short story ''Maming'' in the maiden issue of ''Ang Suga''.
He wrote, directed, and produced the first Cebuano play ''
Elena
Elena may refer to:
People
* Elena (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name
* Joan Ignasi Elena (born 1968), Catalan politician
* Francine Elena (born 1986), British poet
Geography
* Elena (town), a town in Veliko ...
'', a play in three acts. It was first performed at the
Teatro Junquera
Gen. Inocencio Junquera Huergo y Sánchez (1831 in Gran Canaria – 1911 in Santillana del Mar) was a civil and political governor of Cebu, Philippines, from 1893 – 1895. He left a legacy to Cebuano culture by establishing the Teatro Junquera, th ...
on May 18, 1902. The play established Sotto's reputation as a playwright.
The dedication of the play by the playwright reads, "To My Motherland, that you may have remembrance of the glorious Revolution that redeemed you from enslavement. I dedicate this humble play to you."
Tributes to Sotto
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 ...
, 8th
President of the Philippines
The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...
, a native of Bohol and fellow Visayan, said of Sotto: "Vicente Sotto was a rock of Gibraltar in character because of the ruggedness of his conviction, the indomitability of his soul, the sublimity of his courage, and the depth of his faith in the ultimate triumph of justice. His knees no bending, his pen signed no retraction, his march saw no retreat, and his soul of steel knowns no surrender. He marshaled his efforts and used his influence to secure and safeguard for the press the fullest measure of freedom. By his death the country has lost a great patriot, his family has lost a loving and devote father, the Senate has lost an illustrious member..."
Southern Islands Hospital, the primary public medical care facility in southern Philippines, was renamed on May 21, 1992, to
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),
...
, in honor of the late senator. A street inside the
Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in
Pasay
Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...
is named in his honor.
The University of San Carlos has established the Don Vicente Sotto Cebuano Studies grant as a contribution to the formation of a scholarly awareness of the various aspects of history, social life, language, and the arts of Cebu.
See also
*
List of Philippine legislators who died in office
The following is a list of senators and members of the various editions of the lower house of the Philippine legislature who died while they were serving their terms.
Senate
Philippine Legislature (1907-1935)
National Assembly (1935-1941)
...
References and notes
External links
Profile from senate.gov.phSenator Vicente Yap Sotto, The Great Dissenter * Republic Act No. 53: Sotto La
Retrieved 09-20-21.
* Amendment to RA No. 53
Retrieved 09-20-21.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sotto, Vicente
1877 births
1950 deaths
Cebuano people
Senators of the 2nd Congress of the Philippines
Senators of the 1st Congress of the Philippines
Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Cebu
Visayan people
Mayors of Cebu City
University of San Carlos alumni
Vicente
Vicente is an Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese name. Like its French variant, Vincent, it is derived from the Latin name ''Vincentius'' meaning "conquering" (from Latin ''vincere'', "to conquer").
Vicente may refer to:
Location
*São Vicente, Cap ...
Members of the Philippine Legislature
Members of the Philippine Independent Church