John Henry Osmeña

John Henry Renner Osmeña (January 17, 1935 – February 2, 2021), also known as Sonny Osmeña or simply John Osmeña, was the grandson of Philippine President Sergio Osmeña. He served as a senator of the Philippines from 1971 to 1972, 1987 to 1995, and 1998 to 2004. He was the last surviving senator of the 7th Congress, the last Congress before martial law.

In Cebu City, he started out as a city councilor in 1963, became the vice-mayor in 1967 and was elected to the House of Representatives representing the 2nd district the year after. He was the mayor of Toledo, Cebu from 2013 to 2019.

Early life and education Osmeña was born on January 17, 1935, in the then-municipality of Cebu to Dr. Emilio Veloso Osmeña and María Luisa Renner. He was the older brother of former Cebu governor Emilio Mario "Lito" Osmeña Jr. and Annabelle "Annie" Osmeña-Aboitiz, a real estate developer. His paternal grandfather was Sergio Osmeña, the fourth President of the Philippines.

Political career Osmeña's career in politics began in 1963 when he was elected as a councilor of Cebu City. Five years later, in 1968, he was elected as the city's vice mayor and in 1969, was elected to the House of Representatives of the Philippines representing Cebu's 2nd district.

When President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law on September 23, 1972, Osmeña went on exile in the United States. He instead sought re-election as senator, and was elected for a three-year term.

Osmeña ran and lost for senatorial re-election in 2004 and 2007. In 2004, Osmeña sued Governor Gwen Garcia for plunder. Osmeña ran for mayor of Cebu City in the 2010 Cebu City local elections but lost. He was elected as mayor of Toledo, Cebu, and served from 2013 to 2019. After that, he sought to represent Cebu's 3rd congressional district, but was defeated in 2019. for which the Department of Justice cleared him because "there is no probable cause to indict respondent with the offense charged."

Illness and death In July 2020, it was announced that Osmeña had recovered from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines after 20 days of fighting the disease. He was once again hospitalized from January 9 to 16, 2021. Osmeña died on February 2, 2021, sixteen days after his 86th birthday, at his unit at Maryville Condominiums in Cebu City from post-COVID-19 complications. His remains were cremated and later inurned on the next day at Skyline Garden Columbary in Cebu City after his funeral that lasted less than an hour. A hybrid necrological service for him was held at the Senate's session hall in Pasay on March 4, 2021.