Sergio Osmeña

Osmeña was born on September 9, 1878, in the then-municipality of Cebu in Cebu. His biological father was 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. His mother, Juana Osmeña y Suico (1858/1859 – 1941), was reportedly 20 years old at the time. However, since Sanson was already married to another woman, Osmeña was considered illegitimate. As a result, he took on his mother's surname. Osmeña was secretive of his parentage. He would frequent Sanson's farm in Borbon, suggesting he was aware of the identity of his real father. The Osmeña family, a rich and prominent clan of Chinese Filipino heritage with vast business interests in Cebu, warmed to him as he established himself as a prominent figure in local society. Osmeña received his elementary education at the Colegio de San Carlos and graduated in 1892. Osmeña continued his education in Manila, studying in San Juan de Letran College where he first met Manuel L. Quezon, a classmate of his, as well as Vicente Madrigal, Juan Sumulong, and Emilio Jacinto. He took up law at the University of Santo Tomás and placed second in the 1903 bar examinations. He served on the war staff of General Emilio Aguinaldo as a courier and journalist. In 1900, he founded the Cebu newspaper El Nuevo Día (English: 'The New Day'), which operated for three years. ==Public service in Cebu==

When Cebu Governor Juan Clímaco was sent as a member of the Board of Commissioners of the St. Louis Purchase Expedition, Osmeña was appointed acting governor. When Climaco returned, he was appointed as provincial fiscal. His stint there elevated him in politics when he was elected governor of Cebu in 1906. ==Congressional career==

, 1908 (seated, right) during their early years House of Representatives While governor, he successfully ran for a seat in the first Philippine Assembly inaugurated in 1907 and was elected as its first speaker. Osmeña was 29 years old and already the highest-ranking Filipino official. He and another provincial politician, Manuel L. Quezon of Tayabas, set up the Nacionalista Party as a foil to the Partido Federalista of Manila-based politicians. During his speakership, members of the assembly sought to initiate policies that constantly clashed with the opinions of American superiors in the Philippine Commission that ultimately did not pass. Three important bills from the assembly were rejected by the Philippine Commission. • the repeal of the sedition law which imposed penalties on any Filipino who advocated independence; • the repeal of the flag law which banned display of the Filipino flag; • the grant of more powers to the local governments. The Americans' authority did not stop the assembly under him from initiating transformative legislation that would come to pass. These included the creation of a Council of State and a Board of Control that enabled the Philippine legislature to share some of the executive powers of the American governor-general. During his time as a leader of the Nacionalista Party, Osmeña experienced criticism from fellow Nacionalistas. One notable example was from the newspaper The Independent, launched by Vicente Sotto in 1915, which claimed that he sided with Spain during the Philippine Revolution. He also withdrew from the speakership and surrendered his political power to a steering committee of the House of Representatives since December 1921. He officially served as house speaker until 1922. Quezon-Osmeña alliance Osmeña was friends and classmates with Manuel L. Quezon, who was the majority floor leader of the Philippine Assembly under Osmeña's speakership. When the Jones Law was passed, Quezon was elected as Senate president and Osmeña remained speaker. Senate In 1922, Osmeña was elected to the Senate representing the 10th senatorial district. During his time as president pro tempore of the senate, he became acting senate president briefly in 1930 after Senate President Quezon became ill. He went to the United States as part of the OsRox Mission in 1933, to secure passage of the Hare–Hawes–Cutting Independence Bill, which was superseded by the Tydings–McDuffie Act in March 1934. Rivalry with Quezon Despite being a political ally of Quezon, he had been in controversy with him in 1922, over party principles, and in 1933 concerning the Hare–Hawes–Cutting Bill. Osmeña supported the controversial Hare–Hawes–Cutting Bill as it provided independence for the Philippines. Quezon, meanwhile, wanted to reject the bill due to certain provisions like the maintenance of U.S. military bases. After their return from the United States in August 1933, Osmeña, along with Manuel Roxas, campaigned for the ratification of it in the Philippine Legislature. Quezon, on the other hand, campaigned for its rejection. Due to the HHC Controversy, Osmeña's faction was defeated during the 1934 national elections. == Vice-presidency (1935–1944) ==

Osmena was inaugurated vice-president, along with Quezon as president, on November 15, 1935. Quezon had originally been barred by the Philippine constitution from seeking re-election. However, in 1940, constitutional amendments were ratified allowing him to seek re-election for a fresh term ending in 1943. In the 1941 presidential elections, Quezon was re-elected over former Senator Juan Sumulong with nearly 82% of the vote. Re-elected in 1941, Osmeña remained vice president during the Japanese occupation when the government was in exile. As vice-president, Osmeña concurrently served as secretary of public instruction from 1935 to 1940, and again from 1941 to 1944. The outbreak of World War II and the Japanese invasion resulted in periodic and drastic changes to the government structure. Executive Order 390, December 22, 1941, abolished the Department of the Interior and established a new line of succession. Executive Order 396, December 24, 1941, further reorganized and grouped the cabinet, with the functions of secretary of justice assigned to the chief justice of the Supreme Court. ==Quezon-Osmeña impasse==

By 1943, the Philippine government-in-exile was faced with a serious crisis. According to the amendments to the 1935 Constitution, Quezon's term as president was to expire on December 30, 1943, and Vice-President Sergio Osmeña would automatically succeed him to serve out the remainder of term until 1945. This eventuality was brought to Quezon's attention by Osmeña himself, who wrote the former to this effect. Aside from replying to this letter informing Osmeña that it would not be wise and prudent to effect any such change under the circumstances, Quezon issued a press release along the same line. Osmeña then requested the opinion of U.S. attorney general Homer Cummings, who upheld Osmeña's view as more in keeping the law. Quezon, however, remained adamant. He accordingly sought U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt's decision. The latter chose to remain aloof from the controversy, suggesting instead that the Philippine officials themselves solve the impasse. A cabinet meeting was then convened by Quezon. Aside from Quezon and Osmeña, others present in this momentous meeting were Resident Commissioner Joaquin Elizalde, Brig. Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, and Cabinet Secretaries Andres Soriano and Jaime Hernandez. Following a spirited discussion, the Cabinet adopted Elizalde's opinion favoring the decision and Quezon announced his plan to retire in California. After the meeting, however, Osmeña approached Quezon and broached his plan to ask the U.S. Congress to suspend the constitutional provisions for presidential succession until after the Philippines should have been liberated. This legal way out was agreeable to Quezon and the members of his Cabinet. Proper steps were taken to carry out the proposal. Sponsored by Senator Tydings and Congressman Bell, the pertinent Joint Resolution No. 95 was unanimously approved by the Senate on a voice vote and passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 181 to 107 on November 12, 1943. == Presidency (1944–1946) ==

Osmeña became president of the Commonwealth on Quezon's death in 1944. He was sworn in by Associate Justice Robert H. Jackson in Washington, D.C. on August 1. Osmeña delivered his inaugural speech on August 10. in the cover of the Bataan Magazine, June 1945. Administration and cabinet Liberation , October 1944 Left to right: Lieutenant General George Kenney, Lieutenant General Richard K. Sutherland, President Sergio Osmeña, General Douglas MacArthur. during the historic landing at Leyte in 1944. Osmeña accompanied U.S. General Douglas MacArthur during the landing of U.S. forces in Leyte on October 20, 1944, starting the liberation of the Philippines during the Second World War. Upon establishing the beachhead, MacArthur immediately transferred authority to Osmeña, the successor of Manuel Quezon, as Philippine Commonwealth president. Domestic policies Restoration of the Commonwealth With Manila liberated, On January 19, 1946, Senator Roxas announced his candidacy for president in a convention held in Santa Ana Cabaret in Makati, Rizal. According to the Manila Chronicle:...more than three thousand (by conservative estimate there were only 1,000 plus) delegates, party members and hero worshipers jammed into suburban, well known Santa Ana Cabaret (biggest in the world) to acclaim ex-katipunero and Bagong Katipunan organizer Manuel Acuña Roxas as the guidon bearer of the Nacionalista Party's Liberal Wing. The delegates, who came from all over the Islands, met in formal convention from 10:50 am and did not break up till about 5:30 pm. They elected 1. Mariano J. Cuenco, professional Osmeñaphobe, as temporary chairman; 2. José Avelino and ex-pharmacist Antonio Zacarias permanent chairman and secretary, respectively; 3. nominated forty-four candidates for senators; 4. heard the generalissimo himself deliver an oratorical masterpiece consisting of 50 per cent attacks against the (Osmeña) Administration, 50 per cent promises, pledges. Rabid Roxasites greeted the Roxas acceptance speech with hysterical applause. Osmeña tried to prevent the split in the Nacionalista Party by offering Senator Roxas the position of Philippine Regent Commissioner to the United States but Roxas turned down the offer. A new political organization was born, the Liberal wing of the Nacionalista Party, which would later become the Liberal Party. A total of 2,218,847 voters went to the polls to elect a president and vice president. who were to be the Commonwealth's last and the Republic's first. Four days after election day, the Liberal Party candidates were proclaimed victors. Roxas registered an overwhelming majority of votes in 34 provinces and nine cities: Abra, Agusan, Albay, Antique, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Capiz, Cavite, Cotabato, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Laguna, La Union, Leyte, Marinduque, Mindoro, Misamis Oriental, Negros Occidental, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, Pangasinan, Rizal, Romblon, Samar, Sorsogon, Sulu, Surigao, Tayabas, Zambales, Manila, Quezon City, Bacolod (Negros Occidental), Iloilo City (Iloilo), Baguio (Mountain Province), Zamboanga City (Zamboanga), Tagaytay (Cavite), Cavite City (Cavite) and San Pablo (Laguna). == Post-presidency and death (1946–1961) ==

After his electoral defeat, Osmeña retired to his home in Cebu City. He died of pulmonary edema at age 83 on October 19, 1961, at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City. President Carlos P. Garcia declared October 20 to November 3 as "period of national mourning," wherein all flags in the country are flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning. Osmeña was accorded a state funeral. On October 20, 1961, his remains were laid in state at Malate Church in Manila before being transferred to Malacañang. On October 22, these were transported to Cebu City to lie in state at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and, on the next day, at the Cebu Provincial Capitol. These were then returned to Manila to lie in state at Malacañang once again from October 24 to 25, followed by a necrological service for Osmeña at the Legislative Building until October 26. His remains were buried at Manila North Cemetery at noon of October 26. ==2023 paternity test==

For almost a century, the father of Sergio Osmeña had not been certain. Historical records has suggested that either Chinese immigrant and businessman Pedro Lee Gotiaoco or another businessman Antonio Sanson could have been the former president's father. In 2023, Osmeña's descendants Maria Lourdes Bernardo and Annabelle Osmeña-Aboitiz launched a paternity project to determine the father of their ancestor. Y-DNA testing was conducted and in June 2023, Sanson was determined to be Sergio Osmeña's biological father. In a 2023 article, the genealogist and genetic genealogy specialist who was engaged by Osmeña's descendants, Todd Lucero Sales, recounted how, after exhaustive archival research failed to produce definitive evidence, his team found a 100% match across 23 Y‑DNA markers between Osmeña and the Sanson lineage, while excluding Gotiaoco. He claimed that these results provided a 99.982% probability of a patrilineal connection, thus conclusively identifying Antonio Sanson as Osmeña’s father. ==Personal life==

Family • On April 10, 1901, he married Estefania Chiong Veloso, and the couple had ten children: Nicasio, Vicenta, Edilberto, Milagros, Emilio, Maria Paloma, Jesus, Teodoro, José, and Sergio Jr. • In January 1920, two years after the death of his first wife, Osmeña married Esperanza Limjap. They had three children, namely, Ramón, Rosalina and Victor. Descendants Several of Osmeña's descendants became prominent political, business and society figures in their own right: • Sergio Osmeña Jr., son and former Senator • Sergio Osmeña III, grandson and former Senator • John Henry Osmeña, grandson, former congressman, former Senator, and former mayor of Toledo, Cebu • Tomas Osmeña, grandson, incumbent vice mayor of Cebu City • Lito Osmeña, grandson and former governor of Cebu • Rogelio Veloso Osmeña, grandson and former Councilor of Cebu City • Renato Veloso Osmeña, grandson and former vice mayor of Cebu City • Annabelle Osmeña-Aboitiz - real estate developer • Maria Victoria "Minnie" Osmeña, daughter of Sergio Osmeña, Jr. ==Commemoration==

• Osmeña was featured in several stamps through the years, including that commemorating his centenary (pictured) in 1978. • In 1967, Osmeña replaced the portrait of General Antonio Luna in the Philippine fifty-peso note. ==In popular culture==

Audie Gemora portrayed Osmeña in the 2018 film, ''Quezon's Game. Romnick Sarmenta portrayed Osmeña in the 2025 biopic, Quezon''. ==Gallery==

File:Manuel Luis Quezon, (center), with representatives from the Philippine Independence Mission.jpg|Osmeña with representatives from the Philippine Independence Mission (1924) File:VP Osmeña in Washington.jpg|Vice President Osmeña in Washington (1938) File:Philippine vice president Sergio Osmeña at the commissioning ceremony for USS Bataan (CVL-29) on 17 November 1943 (NH 97311).jpg|Vice President Osmeña during the commissioning ceremony of USS Bataan (CVL-29) in 1943 File:US Navy officers with Sergio Osmeña and Carlos P. Romulo.jpg|US Navy officers with President Osmeña and Carlos P. Romulo File:Birthplace of Sergio Osmeña, Sr. NHCP Historical Marker.png|NHCP historical marker commemorating the Birthplace of Sergio Osmeña, Sr. File:Magasaysay Osmeña.jpg|Ramon Magasaysay together with Sergio Osmeña and Serging Osmeña File:Osmena Statue.jpg|Osmeña's statue inside the CAP Development Center in Cebu City. File:Sergio Osmeña House (Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City; 09-05-2022).jpg|Sergio Osmeña House (Now owned by CAP Development Center) in 2022 File:Sergio Osmeña 1978 stamp of the Philippines.jpg|Stamp for Osmeña's Birth Centenary No. 1359, issued in September 1978. File:P50 Ang Bagong Lipunan series (Obverse).jpg|Obverse of the 50-Philippine peso Ang Bagong Lipunan series banknote featuring Osmeña. ==Notes==