Sergio Osmeña Jr.

{{Philippine name|Veloso|Osmeña (disambiguation){{!}}Osmeña}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Sergio Osmeña Jr.

| image = Serging Osmeña.jpg

| office = Senator of the Philippines

| term_start = December 30, 1965

| term_end = December 30, 1971

| office2 = 14th Mayor of Cebu City

| term_start2 = December 30, 1967

| term_end2 = January 3, 1968

| predecessor2 = Carlos Jurado Cuizon

| successor2 = Eulogio Enriquez Borres

| term_start3 = December 30, 1963

| term_end3 = September 16, 1965

| predecessor3 = Mario Diez Ortiz

| successor3 = Carlos Jurado Cuizon

| term_start4 = December 30, 1959

| term_end4 = January 1, 1960

| predecessor4 = Ramon Gonzales Duterte

| successor4 = Carlos Jurado Cuizon

| term_start5 = December 30, 1955

| term_end5 = September 12, 1957

| predecessor5 = Pedro Clavano / Jose V. Rodriguez

| successor5 = Ramon Gonzales Duterte

| office6 = 15th Governor of Cebu

| term_start6 = December 30, 1951

| term_end6 = December 30, 1955

| predecessor6 = Manuel Cuenco

| successor6 = Jose Briones

| office7 = Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Cebu’s 2nd District

| term_start7 = March 18, 1957

| term_end7 = December 30, 1961

| predecessor7 = Pedro T. Lopez

| successor7 = Jose Briones

| birth_name = Sergio Veloso Osmeña Jr.

| birth_date = {{birth date|1916|12|4}}

| birth_place = Cebu, Cebu, Philippine Islands

| death_date = {{death date and age|1984|3|26|1916|12|4}}

| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| nationality = Filipino

| alma_mater = New York University (BS)

| nickname = Serging, S.O.J.

| occupation = Politician

| spouse = Lourdes de la Rama

| children = {{Plainlist|

Sergio Osmeña III
María Victoria Osmeña
Esteban Osmeña
Tomas Osmeña
Georgia Osmeña}}

| party = Liberal (1955–1957; 1961–1984)

| otherparty = Nacionalista (1957–1961)

}}

Sergio "Serging" Veloso Osmeña Jr. (December 4, 1916 – March 26, 1984) was a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines, and ran against Ferdinand Marcos in the 1969 Philippine Presidential election. He was the son of Sergio Osmeña, the fourth president of the Philippines. His sons, Sergio Osmeña III was a Senator of the Philippines, and Tomas Osmeña is a former Mayor of Cebu City.

Early life

Osmeña was born in the town of Cebu on December 4, 1916, to Sergio Osmeña Sr., then the House Speaker and representative from the 2nd district of Cebu, and Estefania Chiong Veloso. He had a brother, Emilio Osmeña, father of Emilio Mario Osmeña Jr. and John Henry Osmeña. He graduated Associate of Arts, cum laude, from Ateneo de Manila University on 1935, and Bachelor of Science in commerce, summa cum laude, from New York University in 1936.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/26/obituaries/sergio-osmena-jr-is-dead-at-67-ran-against-marcos-in-69-vote.html|title=SERGIO OSMENA JR. IS DEAD AT 67; RAN AGAINST MARCOS IN '69 VOTE|last=Saxon|first=Wolfgang|date=March 26, 1984|website=The New York Times}} After graduating which Osmeña opened an import-export business in New York.{{cn|date=July 2022}}

Actions in World War II

Osmeña collaborated with the Japanese in World War II. He escaped justice {{clarify|date=July 2022}} and returned to the Philippines and became President of the De La Rama Steamship Company, Inc.

Political career

In 1951, he was elected provincial Governor of Cebu. He was later elected Mayor of Cebu City for three terms in 1955,{{cite news|author=PNS|title=Losing candidates still air poll anomaly charges|work=The Manila Times|publisher=The Manila Times Publishing Company, Inc.|date=November 16, 1955|location=Cebu City|quote=Aside from Osmeña, those proclaimed include vice-mayor-elect Ramon Duterte and the following members of the municipal board: Casimiro Madarang, Carlos Cuizon (both reelectionists), Pedro Clavano, Mrs. Ceferina del Rosario, Florencio Urot, Cecilio de la Victoria, Joaquin Panis and Dr. Osmundo Rama.}} 1959 and 1963. Elected as representative for the second district of Cebu in 1958, his notable work as fiscalizer brought him recognition from the Congressional Press Club which voted him as one of the Ten Most Outstanding Congressmen of 1959.

In 1961, Osmeña ran for Vice President of the Philippines as an independent, but lost to Senator Emmanuel Pelaez. In the November 1965 elections, he won a seat in the Philippine Senate.

=1969 Philippine Presidential election=

Osmeña publicly opposed the Marcos administration.

On April 5, 1969, at the St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, Marcos exposed Osmeña of collaborating with the Japanese in World War II.

Later on June 15, Osmeña won the Liberal Party nomination for President of the Philippines, and would run against incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos for the 1969 Philippine presidential election. Marcos spent US$50 million in infrastructure projects in an effort to improve the country.{{Cite book|last=Burton, Sandra.|title=Impossible Dream: The Marcoses, the Aquinos, and the Unfinished Revolution|date=1989|publisher=Warner Books|isbn=0-446-51398-9|location=New York, NY|oclc=17650307}} This rapid campaign spending was so massive that it would be responsible for the Balance of Payments Crisis of 1970, whose inflationary effect would cause social unrest leading all the way up to the proclamation of Martial Law in 1972. Marcos was reported to have spent Php 100 for every Php 1 that Osmena spent, using up Php 24 million in Cebu alone.{{Cite news |last=Morallo |first=Audrey |date=2017 |title=Sabotaging the System, Did the Philippines have the best democracy under Marcos? |url=https://newslab.philstar.com/31-years-of-amnesia/best-democracy |url-status=live |access-date=April 13, 2025 |work=Philstar.com |quote=In "Dead Aim," Sen. Benigno Aquino said that for every P1 that Osmena spent, Marcos spent P100.}}

Despite Marcos' win, Osmeña never conceded defeat.{{cite news|last=De Gracia|first=Gene|title=Our most controversial president|work=Manila Bulletin|date=September 11, 1972|ref=His [Ferdinand Marcos] unprecedented (among Presidents of the Republic) second-term victory is still being fought in the presidential electoral tribunal. Liberal Sergio Osmeña, Jr. has never conceded.|page=6}}

=Subsequent activities and exile=

Following his defeat, Osmeña continued as a leader in the Liberal Party. According to historian Joseph Scalice, Osmeña organized a covert organization called the Workshop Group, led by Terry Adevoso, that plotted to assassinate president Marcos in the early 1970s by hiring foreign contract killers.{{cite book|last=Scalice|first=Joseph|title=The Drama of Dictatorship|date=2023|publisher=Ateneo de Manila University Press|isbn=978-621-448-305-1|pages=40-41}} The hitmen's numerous attempts were thwarted, however, due to a mole in the organization named Jose Maristela that informed Marcos of their plans.

On August 21, 1971, Osmeña along with prominent members of the Liberal Party held a proclamation rally at the Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila. While on stage with the other Liberal leaders, two hand grenades were thrown on stage, injuring Osmeña. The Plaza Miranda bombing injured 95, including Osmeña, and killed nine.{{Cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,909933,00.html|title=THE PHILIPPINES: Death in the Plaza Miranda|date=August 30, 1971|magazine=Time}} Afterwards, Osmeña left for the United States and lived in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California.{{cn|date=July 2022}}

Marcos proclaimed martial law in September 1972, citing the threat of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the rebellion of the Muslim Independence Movement. Marcos also submitted documents to the US Congress charging that the declaration of martial law was also due to a plot to kill him. He claimed that Osmeña was a key figure in the plot, although no formal charges were filed against him. Osmeña's son, Serge, was captured and imprisoned due to allegations that he was involved in the assassination attempts.{{cite news|author=UPI|title=Philippines Plans To Try 2 Accused Of Plot on Marcos|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/12/05/archives/philippines-plans-to-try-2-accused-of-plot-on-marcos.html|access-date=February 15, 2025|work=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times Company|date=December 5, 1974|page=2}}

Personal life

File:Sergio Osmeña Jr. family.jpg

He was married to Lourdes de la Rama of Negros Occidental with whom he had five children: Sergio III ("Serge"), Tomas ("Tommy"), Maria Victoria ("Minnie"), Esteban ("Stevie"), and Georgia.Sunnexdesk (Aug 04, 2020). "[https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/bzzzzz/bzzzzz-least-known-sibling-of-tomas-and-serge-osmea-dies-rules-on-cq-pass-in-cebu-city-and-metro-manila-compared Bzzzzz: Least-known sibling of Tomas and Serge Osmeña dies. Rules on CQ pass in Cebu City and Metro Manila compared]". Sunstar.com. Retrieved April 13, 2025. Steve was third of five children to Sergio "Serging" Osmeña Jr., the former senator, city mayor and provincial governor, and Lourdes de la Rama-Osmeña. Steve, said to be a businessman based in Manila, was younger than "Serge" III, and Ma. Victoria "Minnie," and older than Tomas and Georgia. Tomas turned 72 last July 26. After their mother Lourdes died in Bacolod City on November 6, 2011, she was buried at the Osmeña mausoleum in Barangay Tejero, Cebu City, gathering the children and the rest of the Osmeña clan to Cebu.

Death

Osmeña died of respiratory failure at the age of 67 on March 26, 1984, at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.{{Cite web |last=Saxon |first=Wolfgang |date=March 26, 1984 |title=SERGIO OSMENA JR. IS DEAD AT 67; RAN AGAINST MARCOS IN '69 VOTE |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/26/obituaries/sergio-osmena-jr-is-dead-at-67-ran-against-marcos-in-69-vote.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 13, 2025 |website=The New York Times}}

Historical commemoration

In 2014, a life-size brass statue of Osmeña was erected at Plaza Sugbu in Cebu City. It was designed by national artist for sculpture Eduardo Castrillo and commissioned by Insular Life.{{Cite web |last=Quintas |first=Kristine B. |title=Monuments of Serging, Don Vicente unveiled |url=https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-news/2014/10/29/1385746/monuments-serging-don-vicente-unveiled |access-date=2023-02-17 |website=Philstar.com}}