Sergio Osmeña Sr. (Photo from the Official Gazette)
CEBU CITY, Philippines—DNA results may prove that he was a child born out of wedlock but that will never change President Sergio Osmeña’s legacy to the country.
This was the sentiment of former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña after results of the DNA test that traced the paternal lineage of ‘Cebu’s Grand Old Man’ had been revealed.
READ: DNA test reveals ex-President Sergio Osmeña’s father
For Osmeña, the grandson of the late President, the ‘revelation’ will not redefine his grandfather’s legacy not only in Cebu but also that of the country.
The former Cebu City mayor and congressman also expressed disappointment at how others seemed to have ‘glorified’ the life of Don Sergio’s biological father, Don Antonio Sanson.
“Why is it being made to come out of a glorification? There’s been a lot of issues on the revelation of the father of Don Sergio, and I feel I’d rather pay tribute to the mother of Don Sergio,” Osmeña told CDN Digital in a phone interview.
He urged the public to shift their focus instead to Don Sergio’s mother, Juana, and celebrate her life.
“Because in today’s world, she can be an inspiration for single mothers -and the father could have faced statutory rape.” – Tomas Osmeña
Juana Osmeña gave birth to Don Sergio, out of wedlock, on September 9, 1878. At that time, history records showed she was just 16 years old.
Don Sanson, on the other hand, was a merchant belonging to one of Cebu’s most prominent families.
“She (Juana) was a single mother, and you can imagine that time, how society was very conservative and the trauma? She was able to overcome that,” Osmeña pointed out.
“Aha pa man ka kakita og single mother who can produce a bar topnotcher, a governor, the first and youngest Speaker of the House, and a President of the Philippines,” he added.
DNA Findings
The Osmeña family commissioned the DNA test to finally put to end a century-long speculation on Don Sergio’s biological father.
Before results of the DNA test had been made public, there had been reports that the late President’s father was Don Pedro Lee Gotiaoco, a Cebu Chinese tycoon.
As a direct descendant of Don Sergio, Osmeña was among the donor samples for the test. He said he accepted to provide DNA samples ‘for the interest of transparency.’
When he learned about the test results, the former politician said it did not change his perspective not only towards his grandfather but also that of his great grandmother.
“I’m really proud of my great grand lola Juana,” Osmeña said.
/bmjo