IT’S good to know that John Henry Osmeña, better known by his nickname Sonny, has a sense of humor.
To dispel rumors of his death, the 83-year-old former senator and mayor of Toledo City called a press conference on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, to show everyone that, well, he was very much alive.
The octogenarian even laughed when he talked about how he found out about his demise.
Ironically enough, it was during a family gathering at the cemetery on All Saints’ Day, or Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, when his sister received a call from his ex-wife, asking if Sonny had kicked the bucket. It just so happened that Sonny was seated beside his sister.
I could just imagine the sister replying, “Why don’t you ask him?” It must have been awkward and, admit it, funny at the same time.
Somehow they were able to get to the bottom of things and discover the source of the rumors, who, it turns out, happens to be a friend whose name Sonny would not divulge.
Sonny must have realized there was no malice involved. The friend told him he heard about Sonny’s death on the news. Well, I don’t know what news outlet that friend was reading, listening to or watching because I for one was completely blind. And I guess, so was the rest of Cebu.
After all, not much has been written, said or shown about his life since his loss to Pablo John Garcia in the third district congressional race last May.
For example, who knew that he was diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer? That he had already undergone six chemotherapy sessions. That he didn’t suffer any of the symptoms associated with the treatment.
No hair loss. No weight loss. Quite the contrary, he said, he actually gained some pounds.
The illness, according to the grandson of former president Sergio Osmeña, has not stopped him from going through with his daily routine.
Yes, now we know what he does on days he doesn’t go through dialysis.
Anyway, Sonny was quick to brush aside talks that the rumors were politically motivated. Idle gossip, he called them. What else were people supposed to think? Sonny himself pointed out that most of his contemporaries are gone, buried six feet deep. So I guess it goes with the territory when you reach that age.
Still, the former politician could not help but use the occasion to keep the public abreast of what he has been up to.
A housing project in Toledo City. A waste landfill. Water extraction activities.
The guy reminds me of an energizer-bunny.
But for someone who has been in the limelight for most of his life, leading a private life must be, well, boring was how he put it.