SunStar
Sunday Essay Cartoon by John Gilbert Manantan
+ February 06, 2021 THE only person who came closest to knowing Sonny Osmeña has died. His name was Sonny Osmeña.
All week long, we have read stories about the former senator and former Toledo City mayor’s long political career. While some of these have been informative, much of the background notes in these stories appear to have been lifted from his official profile on the Senate website. A full and unflinching record of his political career remains elusive.
Part of the reason for this is an unwritten rule of obituary writing: thou shalt write kindly of the dead. Another reason is the fact that many of the late senator’s contemporaries have long died. He was the last surviving member of the Seventh Congress (1970-1973), to which he was elected in his early 30s and where he had served along with his uncle Sergio Osmeña Jr.