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Senator John Osmeņa is known as the “Lone Ranger” for his independent
mindedness and taking fearless
stance despite overwhelming odds. He is
a
known graft-buster in the Senate. He has been a very vigorous opponent
of
the perceived extension of President Fidel V. Ramos’ term. As
graft-buster,
Sen. Osmeņa was behind the Senate
investigations of many irregular and
anomalous government transactions, including the so-called Petroscam,
and
those
involving the Philippine Airlines and the Philippine Ports
Authority,
among others. His exposes have led to the resignation
of corrupt
government
officials. Senator Osmeņa sponsored among others, a number of
development-oriented bills
like the Municipal Telephone Act (Republic
Act
6849) whereby each municipality will a get a telephone system; the
Mini-Hydroelectric Program (RA 7156), which will provide
non-conventional
electricity in the countryside; the
Public Telecommunications Act of
1995
(RA 7925), and the creation of the Philippine Postal Corporation (RA
7354).
He also authored landmark bills like the Electric Power Crisis Act (RA
7648)
and the Build Operate Law (RA 7718).
He was also responsible for the
creation of the Department of Energy (DOE) after his Senate Bill was
signed
into
law by President Ramos in 1992 in what is more popularly known as
RA
7638. At present, Sen. Osmeņa is in his fourth
term as senator, which
makes
him the most senior member of the Philippine Senate in terms of length
of
tenure.
He also heads two important Senate committees – the Committees
on
Finance and Energy. As Chairman of the Committee
on Finance, his major
task
is the passage of General Appropriations Act annually in the Upper
Chamber.
As
Chairman of the Committee on Energy, he presided over the passage of
the
following four bills in the Senate regarding
the restructuring of the
power
sector in the 11th Congress. (1)SBN 1712 – Creation of National
Transmission
Company (2)SBN 1621 – Amending Section 5 of RA 7638 or the Department
of
Energy Law (3)SBN 1943 –
Amending Certain Provisions of EO 172 or the
Energy
Regulatory Board as Amended by RA 8479 (4)SBN 2000 – An
Act to
Modernize and
Reform the Power Industry. These four bills were incorporated in the
recent
enacted Republic
Act 9136 or otherwise known as the Electric Power
Industry
Reform Act of 2000. A third generation member of the famous
Osmeņa
political
clan of Cebu, Sen. John Henry Osmeņa has indeed gone a long way as far
as
his political career
is concerned. Starting out as Cebu City Councilor
in
1963, he became the Vice-Mayor of the same city in 1968 and was
elected
to
the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District the year
after.
In 1970, he was named
as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of
the
country for his exemplary performance in Government Service.
At the
Miting
De Avance of the Liberal Party on Plaza Miranda on August 21, 1971, two
grenades exploded one after
other, killing 11 and leaving scores of
people
wounded. Both of Sen. Osmeņa’s legs were badly injured. Despite
all
these
hardships he was elected to the Senate in 1971. Martial Law cut short
his
phenomenal political career.
Immediately after President Ferdinand
Marcos
declared martial law on September 21, 1971, Sen. Osmeņa went on exile
in the
United States. After the assassination of Senator Benigno “Ninoy”
Aquino on
August 21,
1983, he was the first political exile to return to the
country
to help in the fight against the Marcos dictatorship.
He was appointed
officer-in-charge mayor of Cebu City in 11986. He was again elected
Senator
in 1987 and in 1992.
He became the Representative of the 3rd District
of
Cebu in 1995 before clinching the senatorial post in the 1998
elections.
Senator John Henry Osmeņa was born on January 17, 1935 to Emilio Osmeņa
and
Ma. Louisa Renner,
both of Cebu. He was married to Lucy Urgello with
one
son, John Gregory Jr., current Vice Governor of Cebu and a former
provincial
board member from the 3rd District. He earned his mechanical
engineering
degree from the University
of San Carlos and further studies at the
University of the Philippines (UP) and the International Social
Development
Institution in Holland.
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