CBSi @ 4

Okay, you ask what CBSi means. It stands for Cebu Bloggers Society Inc., a legally registered non-government organization of more than sixty young (ahem) bloggers based in Cebu who share one common denominator—the passion for blogging.

I’m a CBSi member. Technically, I’m an old member by tenure (and age). Although my participation in this group is not as active as I want it to be, I am proud and lucky to be part of this group. As an insider, I am fully aware how the officers and active members are working so hard to professionalize the group and intensify its blogging initiatives to promote Cebu, one of the beautiful provinces of the Philippines.

Looking back, I find it amusing how I became a member. Some four years ago when CBSi was still a few months old, I was a business reporter for a local paper. Apart from investments, real estate, microfinance, and whatnot, I also covered technology. Blogging somehow falls into that category. And so, I interviewed the officers of CBSi. For the life of me, I could no longer remember how I stumbled upon the story idea of featuring CBSi for the newspaper. At that time, I was fairly new to the business of blogging. I opened a Wordpress account and archived my business stories in it for my personal reference while I’m out in the field and I could not access my company’s own archives. That blog, which I called my portfolio, is now defunct and I moved on to maintain this account, my personal-turned-book blog.

My first photo with CBSi (and yeah, I'm scared of the lovely dog)

I owe my love for blogging to CBSi for two reasons: I saw how they enjoyed blogging, which prompted me to explore it, and they encouraged me to try it out and enjoy myself. They even invited me to be a member, which I did about three years later. Now, I’m “formally” blogging for more than a year now.

CBSi had done so much in its capacity in the span of four years—registered itself with the Securities and Exchange Commission, covered the US election, did outreach activities like teaching kids in a mountain barangay, and staged a successful and well-attended summit for bloggers and about blogging.

Along the way, CBSi made partners and created new friends. Perhaps the greatest achievement of all is the fact that most of the members who were around during the inception of CBSi are still actively contributing to the growing organization up to this day.

Tomorrow, CBSi will celebrate its 4^th year anniversary at Azkals Sports Bar and Grill, along Don Ramon Aboitiz Street in Cebu City, just beside St. Theresa’s College where I finished my undergraduate studies. Tomorrow, members will gather together to simply have fun and enjoy the company of each other. 

To CBSi, more power!