ONE of Cebu’s political clans is mourning the death of former Cebu City councilor Rogelio “Jingjing” Osmeña Sr., who died of cardiac arrest at 1:28 a.m. yesterday. He was 68.
Osmeña, also a former head of Cebu City’s traffic management office, was admitted at the Perpetual Succour Hospital last Feb. 2 because of fever and diarrhea and stayed in the intensive care unit since last Saturday.
His death came as a surprise to most city officials and his friends, who did not know he was rushed to the hospital.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña was shocked and saddened by the death of his cousin, who he said has kept the city safe for the past years by training the police in firearms proficiency.
Known both for his temper and his dedication to his job, Jingjing’s death saddened not just city officials but also City Hall employees who worked with him when he was councilor.
Former vice mayor Renato “Nato” Osmeña said his brother had been having health problems since a kidney transplant four years ago.
“He’s been having kidney problems and lately, his kidney failed and that led to the cardiac arrest at 1:28 this morning. It was mainly his kidney but his heart also could not stand it... I don’t think he knew he was going because just last Saturday, his doctors told us that he was improving very slowly. We never had any premonition that he was going,” he told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday noon.
His doctors declined to be interviewed but according to his nephew, City Councilor Richard “Richie” Osmeña, the cause of death was “multiple organ failure secondary to acute respiratory distress syndrome.”
Jingjing is survived by his two children, Amparo and Rogelio Jr.
Brothers Renato and Antonio, cousin Tomas and their other relatives consoled each other while waiting for Jingjing’s remains to be brought to the Imperial Chapel of the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in Barangay Lahug yesterday morning.
Dressed in a coat and tie and the leather shoes he usually wore to work, the late councilor was placed in a simple silver- gray casket.
“That suits him because he was very practical, dili na siya ganahan ug mahalon (he never liked expensive things). Silver is also one of his favorite colors; it’s the same color as his sports utility vehicle,” Richie said.
At 8 a.m. today, Jingjing’s remains will be brought to the Cebu City social hall to allow city officials and employees to pay their last respects before the 10 a.m. mass. A short memorial service will follow.
He is scheduled to be buried in the Osmeña mausoleum on Friday.
“I don’t want to make any comment right now because I am still in shock. I’m just so sad, it’s so sudden. I was very, very close to him. I just realized that he was misunderstood by a lot of people, and I understood him more than anybody else,” Tomas said yesterday.
City officials credit Jingjing for the traffic ordinances that helped ensure order in the city’s streets. But for the mayor, his greatest contribution to the city was the training he facilitated for the police.
Jingjing was president of the Cebu Pistol and Rifle Association (CPRA) and was still active in training the police the Sunday before he was admitted to the hospital.
“His major contribution was he was a binding element in keeping the police force’s morale and self-confidence high. He did this by harnessing the energies and talents of CPRA members. This has never been duplicated anywhere in our country. Our city has been kept safe because of his low-key participation,” said the mayor.
City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem said that because of Jingjing’s passion for firearms proficiency, he came up with the idea to train the city’s police in 2003.
He said that Jingjing’s passing “is a big loss to Cebu City,” because he was always supportive of the programs for the police.
The former councilor, he said, was always conscious of the performance of the police, and his training program has improved the their firearms proficiency.
When she visits his wake today, First Lady Margot Osmeña said she will bring the former councilor’s favorite dessert, brazo de mercedes, which she promised while he was still in the hospital.
“I know he looked scary but he was very soft inside. He was a good man and the best evidence that he was a good person was that he raised very good children. So it shows that he did something right, even if he has been a single father for a long time. He was very focused and disciplined,” Margot said.