The publication saw print from 1907 to 1941, during the outbreak of World War II. It was started by Domingo Franco, Cebu's topmost election lawyer. Franco was the lawyer of Martin Llorente, defeated by Don Vicente Sotto during the 1907 Municipal Presidency of Cebu. Franco was also the lawyer of Municipal President Simeon Nengasca of Dalaguete in the election of 1907.
Don Mariano Jesus Cuenco, the lawyer, politician, publisher, and bus operator took over the management of the publication, translated into Cebuano as "Ang Mag-uuna".
The publication had the following editors aside from Don Mariano: Vicente Rama, Uldarico Alviola, Franscisco Ma. Labrador, Paciente S. Villa, Vicente Padriga, Cayetano Villamor, Miguel Cuenco, Jose Ma. del Mar (who produced a veteran lawmaker, Raul Chiong Veloso del Mar) and Rufino Noel.
Miguel Cuenco was the youngest of the siblings of Don Mariano. He became a lawyer at a young age but was not allowed to practice law, so the family decided he should go to the United States to study diplomacy. He then came back to become a congressman of the old 5th District of Cebu, the district held by his elder brother, Don Mariano. In 1965, the grandchild of Don Mariano, a young lawyer then at the age of 25, ran and replaced Don Miguel, the Atenean lawyer soon became Cebu's legend in politics and the crusade for democracy and anti-drugs, his name is Antonio Veloso Cuenco.
Aside from the "El Precursor", Don Mariano founded "The Republic" given birth in 1947. It was managed by a relative of Don Mariano's second wife, Rosa Cayetano, Dioscoro Lazaro. Others who became editors of the "The Republic" were Luis Esmero, Federico Sarabia, Leodegario Salazar, Antonio Abad Tormis (a street in Cebu City is named after him, a marker stands along Borromeo Street, the site where he was assassinated), Wilfredo Veloso, and Jose Logarta (a street in Talisay City, Cebu, is named after him).
M.J. Cuenco was born in Carmen, Cebu, on January 16, 1888, he also founded the "La Juventud" and "Luz de Visayas." He became the first Cebuano senate president. M.J. Cuenco became the first father and child governors of Cebu (his son, Doc Manuel, became Governor of Cebu after World War II). The other two, father and child governors are Don Sergio Osmeña and son, Serging, and lawyer Pablo P. Garcia and daughter, Gwendolyn Fiel Garcia, now Deputy Speaker representing the 3rd District of Cebu.