John Henry Osmeña

John Henry Renner Osmeña (born January 17, 1935 ) is a Filipino politician .

biography

Political career and opponent of the Marcos dictatorship

John Henry Osmeña, who was a relative of the former President Sergio Osmeña , studied mechanical engineering at the University of San Carlos and completed postgraduate studies at the University of the Philippines and the International Social Institution in the Netherlands .

He began his political career in 1963 as a member of the city ​​council of Cebu City and was vice- mayor of the city between 1965 and 1969 . He then became a member of the House of Representatives in December 1969 and represented the 2nd electoral district of Cebu until December 1971 . For his political merits, he was voted one of the country's ten outstanding young men (TOYM ) in 1970.

At a meeting of the Partido Liberal ng Pilipinas in Plaza Miranda in Manila , he was seriously injured in both legs by two grenades during the Senate election campaign on August 21, 1971 , but was nevertheless elected a member of the Senate shortly afterwards . When President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972 , and the Senate was dissolved, he went into exile in the United States .

After the assassination attempt on the former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino on August 21, 1983, he was one of the first politicians to return to the Philippines from exile to fight the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

Senator and MP after the fall of Marcos

After his fall in the course of the People Power Revolution (EDSA I), he became the acting mayor of Cebu City in early 1986.

In June 1987 he again became a member of the Senate and was a member of it until June 1995.

As a senator, he often represented dissenting opinions and, in particular, opposed an intended extension of the term of office of President Fidel Ramos . He was also behind the proposed investigations into numerous irregular and unauthorized government transactions, such as the case of Petroscam , Philippine Airlines and the Philippine Ports Authority , which resulted in the resignation of corrupt government officials.

He was also responsible for several legislative initiatives such as the Municipal Telephone Act (Republic Act 6849), through which every township got a telephone connection, the Mini-Hydroelectric Program (RA 7156), which promoted non-conventional electricity in rural areas, the Public Telecommunications Act of 1995 (RA 7925), the Philippine Postal Corporation Act (RA 7354), the Electric Power Crisis Act (RA 7648) and the Build Operate Law (RA 7718). Ultimately, the Department of Energy was created on the basis of his legislative initiative, signed by President Ramos in 1992 as RA 7638 .

After leaving the Senate, he was again a member of the House of Representatives between June 1995 and June 1998 and represented the 3rd constituency of Cebu in this.

Between June 1998 and June 2004 he was again a senator, making him the senator with the longest membership in the Senate. He was also chairman of the finance committee and, as such, advocated the annual implementation of the General Appropriations Act in the Senate. As chairman of the energy committee, he led the passage of four major bills in the energy sector: SBN 1712 - Creation of National Transmission Company , SBN 1621 - Amending Section 5 of RA 7638 or the Department of Energy Law , SBN 1943 - Amending Certain Provisions of EO 172 (Energy Regulatory Board as Amended by RA 8479) and SBN 2000 - An Act to Modernize and Reform the Power Industry . These bills were eventually passed in the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2000 (RA 9136).

In addition, John Henry Osmeña was also President of the Senate Pro tempore from 1999 to 2000 and was as such a representative of the Senate President in his absence or illness.

His son John Gregory Osmeña, Jr. is also politically active and was, among other things, Lieutenant Governor of Cebu.

Web links

• Senate homepage