Sergio Osmeña Jr.

Actions in World War II Osmeña collaborated with the Japanese in World War II. He escaped justice and returned to the Philippines and became President of the De La Rama Steamship Company, Inc. 1959 and 1963. His tenure as mayor was criticized by his own father, former president Sergio Osmeña Sr., as being "extravagant, corrupt, and arbitrary".

Elected as representative for the second district of Cebu in 1958, Osmeña's 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. On July 19, 1960, Osmeña was suspended by Congress after he accused President Carlos P. Garcia of bribery related to his veto of a "rice and corn" bill, and a few days later, President Garcia affirmed that Osmeña forfeited his position as mayor after attending the first session of Congress in January 1960.

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 presidential campaign

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 in infrastructure projects in an effort to improve the country. 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 for every that Osmena spent, using up to in Cebu alone.

Despite Marcos' win, Osmeña never conceded defeat.

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. The hitmen's numerous attempts were thwarted, however, due to a mole in the organization named Jose Maristela that informed Marcos of their plans. Afterwards, Osmeña left for the United States and lived in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California.

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.

Personal life

Osmeña 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.

Death Osmeña died of respiratory failure at the age of 67 on March 26, 1984, at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

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.

In December 2025, the Cebu City Council proposed the renaming of Cebu South Coastal Road in Cebu City to Sergio Osmeña Jr. Boulevard in his honor.