Cebu produced many lawyer-writers, in this article we feature two of them.
The first is Genaro P. Lapus, he was admitted to the Bar on March 28, 1949. He was born in San Isidro, San Fernando, Cebu, on September 19, 1899. He was a teacher and served the government as Collector of Customs. He was credited to have translated "Son of Monte Cristo" for the magazine Babaye published in Don Vicente Rama's Bag-ong Kusog.
Attorney Lapus published a collection of his poems entitled "Lonely dreams." He used the pen names Momproy and Esmiringhoy.
The publication Babaye saw print from 1930 to 1940. Its publishers were Sotero Cabahug (streets in Cebu City and Mandaue City are named after him, he served as Governor of Cebu and Defense Secretary, the Cebu City Police Office headquarters is named after him), Cipriano Parba and Eliseo Dejoras.
The other is Pedro T. Lopez, he was admitted to the Bar on September 28, 1946. He was a legislator and served the old second district of Cebu composed of Cebu, Liloan, Mandaue, Opon (now Lapu-Lapu City), Cordova, Compostela, and Consolacion. He was elected to the 3rd National Assembly in 1941 and served up to 1946, then was reelected in 1953 but died on March 17, 1957 in a plane crash together with the late president Ramon Magsaysay. The seat vacated by Lopez was succeeded by Sergio "Serging" Chiong Veloso Osmeña Jr.
Attorney Lopez was the founder-publisher of Nasud. He served as President of the Cebu Press Association and also of the Cebu Lawyers League. He was also a diplomat having been a member of the Philippine delegation to the United Nations, the UN Commission in London.
Nasud saw print from 1930 to 1941. His editors were Florentino D. Tecson (the street F.D. Tecson is named after him), Eugeniano O. Perez, Tomas Violanda, Vicente Padriga, Ramon Abellanosa, and Leodegario Salazar.
Nasud had a change of management in 1935 with the Visayan Press Inc. owned by Isabelo Binamira (also a lawyer, admitted to the Bar on December 23, 1937) and Eugeniano Perez.