Ex-senator Sonny Osmeña dies, 86

BY VANNE TERRAZOLA

Former senator John Henry “Sonny” R. Osmeña passed away on Tuesday, February 2. He was 86.

His sister Annie Osmeña-Aboitiz confirmed that the former lawmaker and Toledo City mayor died at 2:45 p.m. in his condominium unit in Cebu City.

The cause of death was undisclosed, but Osmeña “was immediately cremated” after his death, the statement read.

His former staff Ferliza Contratista also posted about the death of the former senator on Facebook late Tuesday night.

Osmeña was a member of the Senate during the Seventh Congress until the Ninth Congress from 1970 to 1995, and again in the 11th Congress and 12th Congress, from 1998 to 2004.

A member of the Liberal Party, he was one of those who fought against the dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos. He was one of those injured during the bombing at the “miting de avance” of the opposition party in Plaza Miranda, Manila, in 1971.

After Marcos declared martial law, he went on exile in the United States. He was the first political exile to return to the country following the assassination of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino on August 21, 1983.

Aside from serving as senator, Osmeña started as a Cebu City councilor in 1963, then a vice mayor in 1968, and was also elected as representative of the city’s 2nd district the year after.

He was known for being a “graft-buster” in the Senate, having initiated inquiries on irregularities and anomalous government transactions. Osmeña also pushed the creation of the Department of Energy (DOE).

According to Contratista, Osmeña was first diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer in July 2019.

In June, 2020, he contracted the COVID-19, but was able to recover from the deadly disease. Contratista said Osmeña was able to go out and attend celebrations until December 24.

“Since then he was already bedridden,” she said.

On January 9, he was hospitalized “for pain” but was discharged last January 16, a day before he turned 86.

Osmeña is survived by his son, former Cebu vice governor John Gregory Osmeña, his grandsons, sister Annie Osmeña-Aboitiz, and brother former Cebu governor Lito Osmeña.