Remembering Don Sergio Osmeña’s integrity and selflessness

Today is the 145th birth anniversary of the greatest Cebuano who ever lived, Don Sergio Osmeña Sr., the fourth president of the Philippines. He is remembered for his honesty, humility, integrity and selflessness. He could have been the third president after the second president, Manuel L. Quezon died in New York, on August 1, 1944, but the Japanese invaded our country and installed Jose P. Laurel Sr as puppet president. The sterling qualities of Cebu’s grand old man are what our country needs today.

Don Sergio was the father of Serging Osmeña, whose sons Tomas, former city mayor, and Sergio III or Serge, former senator of multiple terms, like their first degree cousins, John “Sonny” Osmeña, former city mayor, congressman and multi-term senators, and Lito Osmeña who became one of Cebu’s best governors. Serging Osmeña and Lito Osmeña both ran for president but were beaten by their opponents. In 1969, Serging of the Liberal Party was badly beaten by the then incumbent candidate of the Nacionalista Party, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Marcos poured millions into Cebu aiming to defeat Serging here, courtesy of allies led by congressmen Ramon Durano Sr. of the northeast, Tereso Dumon of the northwest, Manuel Zosa of the southwest, and Isidro Kintanar of the southeast, all Nacionalistas.

Don Sergio Osmeña was born on September 9, 1878, in the then Cebu municipality. Just recently it was discovered by DNA test, that Don Sergio was, after all, allegedly the son of Don Antonio Sanson, a socially prominent and wealthy Chinese mestizo businessman and haciendero known for his vast landholdings throughout Cebu. Sanson came from one of Cebu’s oldest and most illustrious families. It is also recorded that Sergio’s mother, Juana Osmeña y Suico, born in 1858 and died in 1941, was reportedly 20 years old at the time she begot Don Sergio. However, since Sanson was already married to another woman, Sergio was considered born out of wedlock. As a result, Don Sergio took on his mother’s surname.

It was in the Colegio de San Carlos that Don Sergio Osmeña received his elementary education. Then he transferred to Manila and enrolled at the San Juan de Letran College where destiny made him meet his long-time political ally, Manuel L. Quezon, from the small town of Baler in what was then called the province of Tayabas. Their other classmates were Juan Sumulong, also a famous politician later who was the great-grandfather of Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino, eleventh president of the Philippines. One of their classmates was also Emilio Jacinto, the highest-ranking general of the Philippine Revolution and formerly known as the true Brains of the Katipunan. Don Sergio and Quezon transferred to the University of Santo Tomas where he topped the class, Osmeña got second place in the 1903 Bar exam while Quezon placed fourth.

In politics, Don Sergio started as Cebu governor in 1906. In 1907, he was elected congressman and then the House elected him speaker at the age of 29. He was consistently reelected speaker of the House until 1916. He was senator from 1922 to 1935. He was vice president from 1935 to 1944. As such, he was also appointed by Quezon as secretary of Education, then called Department of Public Instruction from 1935 to 1940, then secretary of Public Instruction, Health and Public Welfare (combination of DepEd, DOH, and DSWD) from 1941 to 1944. In 1944, he assumed the presidency, when Quezon died of tuberculosis in Saranac Lake, New York, USA. Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. accompanied General Douglas MacArthur in the famous liberation landing in Palo, Leyte, on October 20, 1944.

Don Sergio and his other friend, Don Manuel Roxas of Capiz, both Nacionalistas entered into a friendly race for standard bearer in 1946. Roxas was beaten overwhelmingly. Roxas then bolted the Nacionalistas and founded the Liberal Party and then ran against Don Sergio. Osmeña was too busy rehabilitating the country after the Japanese devastation. He had no time to campaign. Roxas won by1,333,392 over Osmeña’s 1,129,996. Osmeña’s vice presidential bet Eulogio Rodriguez of Rizal was also beaten by Liberal Party’s Elpidio Quirino of Ilocos Sur. And the rest is history.

Don Sergio is the pride of Cebu and he is remembered by all Filipinos as perhaps the most honest, the most selfless and the most humble and self-effacing, unassuming and forgiving president. His character, his conscientiousness and his competence are truly what the Philippines needs today.