EXEMPLARY. Dr. Suga Sotto-Yuvienco (above left, seated on a wheelchair) attended the floral offering for the birth anniversary of her father, senator Vicente Yap Sotto in 2012 and 2013. She was accompanied by her nephew, Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and his wife actress Helen Gamboa-Sotto at the Rizal Library Sinulog Hall along with then Cebu City mayor Michael Rama (right top and below left).
Youngest daughter of the late Cebuano senator Vicente Sotto leaves behind a legacy of service
At a time when women leaders were a rarity, Suga Sotto Yuvienco was a community leader with few peers.
Whether in government service or in her private capacity, Dr. Suga assumed leadership and spearheaded projects in areas like culture and heritage preservation, public health and women empowerment.
As her name Suga (Visayan for light) implied, she lit and led the way for several socio-civic organizations to undertake projects to uplift community welfare.
“My mother was always occupied with civic activities aside from her medical practice. She always had that energy to be helpful to the community…always had that driving force to achieve something,” her daughter Minnie said.
Aside from her work as Cebu City councilor, Dr. Suga was also the founding president of Zonta Club of Cebu 1 as well as the founding president of the Cebu Chapter of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society.
Premiere doctor
She was instrumental in the restoration of Fort San Pedro in the early 70s when she led Zonta Club of Cebu 1 when it was chartered in 1968.
Dr. Suga was part of the board of trustees of the Cebu Puericulture Center and Maternity House, Inc.
Prior to government service, Dr. Suga was best known as one of Cebu’s premier doctors in the field of obstetrics and gynecology.
In 1976, Dr. Suga was awarded as the “First Woman Surgeon of Cebu” by the Women’s International League Cebu Chapter.
Three years later, the Philippine Medical Women’s Association in Manila recognized her as an “Outstanding Woman in Medicine.”
Named after the publication
She was given the Ramon Lopez Award for academic and community service by the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society Manila.
Dr. Suga was the youngest child of Don Vicente Yap Sotto and Maria Festin Ojeda, born on February 21, 1919.
Her four older brothers are Galileo, Voltaire, Tagakota and Marcelino. She had one sister, Britania.
She is the aunt of Sen. Tito Sotto and actor/film producer Vic Sotto.
She was named after the publication, Ang Suga, that was published by her father in June 1901. It was the first newspaper in Cebuano.
Love for community
Minnie, who also became president of Zonta Club of Cebu I from 2006 to 2008, said her mother came from a bloodline “where love for the community is ingrained in her system.”
“(My mother) saw it in my grandfather’s examples and she continued what he started by serving the community in the best way that she can,” she said.
Dr. Suga served as Cebu City councilor from March 1980 to March 1986.
She headed the Committees on Health from 1982 to 1986 and Housing and Urban Development in 1981.
She was also chairperson of the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission from 1981 to 1986.
Helping the poor
Dr. Suga fought for better public health services and lobbied for establishing a Pink Center at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.
To this day, the Pink Center continuous to assist women victims of violence.
In her message on the 25th anniversary celebration of Zonta Club of Cebu I in 1993, Dr. Suga noted the importance of channeling resources to underprivileged members of the community to uplift their way of life.
“We believed that we could do better by putting our help, our money to children (through health and education projects such as day care nurseries, health clinics and offering nursery classes) than into the pockets of parents and so-called leaders,” she said.
Dr. Suga was married to Merito Yuvienco, also a doctor.
They have five children: Minnie, Merito Jr., Eugene, Christopher and Jose Marie.
Zonta 1 past president Janette Nellie Chiu said Dr. Merito and Dr. Suga were in the same golf group with her father, Go Ching Hai. They named their group “The Sunrisers.”
Miracle worker
“She was very soft spoken and kind and very practical with her advice. They called her ‘The Miracle Worker’. Those who sought her help would be cured as her gifts of healing were God-given,” Chiu recalled.
Thirty nine years after Dr. Suga became president of Zonta 1, Chiu found herself as a member of the club. It was 2007 and the club president was Minnie, Dr. Suga’s daughter.
Chiu later became club president and served from 2014 to 2016. She considers Dr. Suga as her inspiration.
On May 30, Chiu received a text message from Minnie informing her that Dr. Suga left this earth. Dr. Suga died on May 29. She was 98 years old.
Dr. Suga lived for almost a century serving the community and dedicated her life to causes that promote women’s rights and welfare.
Her life is a testament of genuine public service and dedication to her profession, a commitment to help those in need.