In 1951, he was elected provincial governor of Cebu and Mayor of Cebu City for three terms in 1955, 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.
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.[2] 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.
Subsequent activities
Following his defeat, Osmeña continued as a leader in the Liberal Party.
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.[3] Afterwards, Osmeña left for the United States and lived in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California.[citation needed]
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.[1]
Personal life
Osmeña family
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.[citation needed]
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.[4]
^Burton, Sandra. (1989). Impossible Dream: The Marcoses, the Aquinos, and the Unfinished Revolution. New York, NY: Warner Books. ISBN0-446-51398-9. OCLC17650307.