CDN@5: Cebu and Beyond

NOSE FOR REGIONAL NEWS The CDN Digital Team (left photo) at SM Seaside’s The Cube (right), one of the Cebu City landmarks that was lit up in blue on Jan. 1 in celebration of the regional news website’s fifth anniversary. From left: Christian Dave Cuizon, Janne Immae Lachica, Enrico Calero Gabuya, Nina Mae Oliverio, Jessa Ngojo, Dennis Singson, Khryss Melchor Gabuya, Doris Bongcac, Ralph Gurango, and Brian Ochoa. (Photo by JOHN RAY ALIGATO)

CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — Three of Cebu’s biggest landmarks painted the Queen City of the South blue to mark the latest milestone of Cebu Daily News (CDN) Digital.

The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway bridge, the SM Seaside Tower and Cube, and Nustar Resort Cebu were all lit in blue on Jan. 1 in support of CDN Digital’s fifth-anniversary celebration.

“As we turn five, we collectively say our heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to our readers and followers, the Cebuano community whose struggles and triumphs continue to be CDN Digital’s goldmine of inspiring stories and narratives,” said Rick Gabuya, managing editor at CDN Digital.

“A massive chunk of our gratefulness also goes to our advertisers and industry partners, whose support enabled us to not just survive but thrive in the digital landscape,” he added.

PAINT THE TOWN BLUE | The Nustar Resort Cebu (left) and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway — recognized as the country’s longest and tallest bridge — also advertise CDN Digital’s special day. (Photo by JOHN RAY ALIGATO)

Cebu and beyond

CDN Digital also welcomed the new year with a new tagline —“Cebu and Beyond”—which was flashed on Nustar Resort Cebu’s jumbotron, the largest 3D LED billboard in the Visayas and Mindanao, during the simultaneous lighting event on Jan. 1.

“As we celebrate our 5th-year milestone, we are proud to unveil our new tagline, ‘Cebu and Beyond,’ encapsulating our commitment to credible journalism and our spirit as digital trailblazers,” said Imelda Alcantara, chief operating officer of Inquirer.net, CDN Digital’s parent company.

PAINT THE TOWN BLUE The Nustar Resort Cebu (left) and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway—recognized as the country’s longest and tallest bridge—also advertise CDN Digital’s special day.
—PHOTOS BY JOHN RAY ALIGATO

For the past five years, CDN Digital has proved its mark as a pioneer in digital storytelling and product development, leveraging opportunities the internet has to offer to provide its readers with comprehensive and enriching stories as well as advertisers with digital solutions, not only inside but outside of Cebu.

“We have become the go-to site for Cebuanos both locally and globally, embodying the true essence of ‘glocal’ with local content that resonates on a global scale,” Alcantara added.

In its fifth year, CDN Digital continued to dominate regional news sites and social media rankings, latest figures from website and social media monitoring tools showed.

Rising and thriving

“CDND celebrates its 5th anniversary with a very good batting average. Its site traffic is rising, its social media keeping up with, if not leading, the competition, its sales and marketing operations doing well,” said Abelardo Ulanday, editor in chief and publisher of Inquirer.net.

In 2023, the site generated more than 16 million page views, according to a report from website monitoring platform SimilarWeb. CDN Digital has also maintained a significant lead in social media with a five-fold increase in followers, now standing at 3.2 million.

Furthermore, CDN Digital has consistently received recognition and accolades for its commitment to excellence in journalism, with recent wins in the Globe Media Excellence Awards for investigative reporting as well as for its acclaimed COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

Going fully digital

CDN DIGITAL / SAVED JANUARY 2, 2024
Screenshot of CDN Digital webpage

The decision to transform Cebu Daily News into a fully digital news organization in 2019 was not an easy move.

But the past five years proved that it was the right choice, especially in today’s ever-dynamic landscape where breakthrough technologies like artificial intelligence serve both as an opportunity and a threat for news outlets navigating the digital world.

“Management thought and believed a full digital version of the product can best serve this goal and objective… I have every reason to believe that CDND will continue to thrive and grow even in the most trying times and conditions,” said Ulanday.

The pillars at CDN Digital and Inquirer.net share this confidence and optimism about CDN Digital’s future being brighter.

“For 2024, CDN Digital would like to assure our readers, followers and advertisers of our steadfast commitment to excellence …. as we continue to uphold the truth no matter the price,” said Gabuya. INQ