SERGIO OSMEÑA
• Sergio Osmeña Sr. CCLH (Spanish: [ˈseɾxjo ozˈmeɲa], Tagalog: [ˈsɛɾhjo
ˈosmɛɲa]; Chinese: 吳文釗; Pe
̍ h-ōe-jī: Gô͘ Bûn-chiau September 9, 1878 – October 19,
1961) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fourth president of the
Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was vice president under Manuel L. Quezon. Upon
Quezon's sudden death in 1944, Osmeña succeeded him at age 65, becoming the
oldest person to assume the Philippine presidency until Rodrigo Duterte took office in
2016 at age 71. A founder of the Nacionalista Party, Osmeña was also the
first Visayan to become president.

• PRIOR TO HIS ACCESSION IN 1944, OSMEÑA SERVED AS GOVERNOR
OF CEBU FROM 1906 TO 1907, MEMBER AND FIRST SPEAKER OF THE
PHILIPPINE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM 1907 TO 1922, AND SENATOR
FROM THE 10TH SENATORIAL DISTRICT FOR THIRTEEN YEARS, IN WHICH
CAPACITY HE SERVED AS SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE. IN 1935, HE WAS
NOMINATED TO BE THE RUNNING-MATE OF SENATE PRESIDENT MANUEL L.
QUEZON FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THAT YEAR. THE DUO WERE
OVERWHELMINGLY RE-ELECTED IN 1941.
• HE WAS THE PATRIARCH OF THE PROMINENT OSMEÑA FAMILY, WHICH
INCLUDES HIS SON, FORMER SENATOR SERGIO OSMEÑA JR., AND HIS
GRANDSONS, FORMER SENATORS SERGIO OSMEÑA III AND JOHN HENRY
OSMEÑA, EX-GOVERNOR LITO OSMEÑA AND FORMER CEBU
CITY MAYOR TOMAS OSMEÑA.

EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
• OSMEÑA WAS BORN ON SEPTEMBER 9, 1878, IN THE THEN-
MUNICIPALITY OF CEBU TO A WEALTHY BUSINESSMAN DON PEDRO LEE GOTIAOCO
AND TO JUANA OSMEÑA Y SUICO, WHO WAS REPORTEDLY ONLY 14 YEARS OF AGE
AT THE TIME. OWING TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS BIRTH, THE IDENTITY OF HIS
FATHER HAD BEEN A CLOSELY GUARDED FAMILY SECRET, SURNAMED "SANSON".
ALTHOUGH CARRYING THE STIGMA OF BEING AN ILLEGITIMATE CHILD – JUANA
NEVER MARRIED THE FATHER – HE DID NOT ALLOW THIS ASPECT TO AFFECT HIS
STANDING IN SOCIETY. 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 WAS BORN ON SEPTEMBER 9, 1878, IN THE THEN-
MUNICIPALITY OF CEBU TO A WEALTHY BUSINESSMAN DON PEDRO LEE GOTIAOCO
AND TO JUANA OSMEÑA Y SUICO, WHO WAS REPORTEDLY ONLY 14 YEARS OF AGE
AT THE TIME. OWING TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS BIRTH, THE IDENTITY OF HIS
FATHER HAD BEEN A CLOSELY GUARDED FAMILY SECRET, SURNAMED "SANSON".
ALTHOUGH CARRYING THE STIGMA OF BEING AN ILLEGITIMATE CHILD – JUANA
NEVER MARRIED THE FATHER – HE DID NOT ALLOW THIS ASPECT TO AFFECT HIS
STANDING IN SOCIETY. 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.

PUBLIC SERVICE IN CEBU
• WHEN CEBU GOVERNOR JUAN CLIMACO 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
• HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
• WHILE GOVERNOR, HE 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.

1.THE REPEAL OF THE SEDITION LAW WHICH IMPOSED PENALTIES ON ANY FILIPINO
WHO ADVOCATED INDEPENDENCE;
2.THE REPEAL OF THE FLAG LAW WHICH BANNED DISPLAY OF THE FILIPINO FLAG;
3.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.

QUEZON-OSMEÑA ALLIANCE
•OSMEÑA WAS FRIENDS AND CLASSMATES WITH MANUEL
QUEZON, WHO WAS THE MAJORITY FLOOR LEADER
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. 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.