Sergio Osmeña. Rectitude personified.pdf

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extracted text: ■ The superior character of President Osmena has not yet been equalled by his successors in the Philippine Presidency; and it has been responsible for the rise of a united country and people. SERGIO OSMENA: RECTITUDE PERSONIFIED Today is Don Sergio’s na tal day. We would do well, I am sure, to look into his luminous life as we march on toward our rightful des tiny. Don Sergio’s life, both pri vate and public, was some thing beyond reproach, stud ded with so many virtues — like simplicity, humility, greatness of heart, and mnd, incorruptibility, and life long dedication to country and people. Self-ostentation and1 the flare for the drama tics, a common weakness of lesser men, were not for him. A life so assiduously plan ned and lived, none may point an accusing finger at Don Sergio. He was recti tude personified, whether in private or public life. But it is as our people’s bene factor, or, to put it in more precise terms, as public ser vant, which interests us most and which, I believe, should be our special concern to be familiar with as we go about to celebrate his birthday an niversary today. Of all the fine things about Don Sergio, I like to think and remember him most as the patron saint of our national unity. This was the cornerstone of his leader ship and of his entire public career, whether as the na tion’s leader or just as "a soldier in the ranks.” Like Abraham Lincoln, Don Ser gio firmly believed that a house divided against itself cannot and will not stand. In his life, man’s vaulting ambition was always relegat ed to the backseat whenever and wherever national unity was at stake. Times there were and they came one after another when Don Sergio’s devotion to our national unity was severely tested, but, to his unfading 4 Panorama glory, it was never found wanting. Now forgotten or dimmed by time, Don Sergio was our first national leader follow’ing the establishment of Am erica’s regime in our coun try, when as Speaker of the Philippine Assembly we start ed our epochal experiment in self-government. Upon the success of this historic experiment depended the ul timate recognition of our fun damental right to be free and independent. It was Don Sergio who piloted us so capably in establishing our capacity for self-govern ment. In the first Osmena-Quezon break up in 1922 on what proved to be an empty issue of collective leadership against unipersonal leader ship; Don. Sergio flatly reject ed the’ allure of sweet re venge by declining to com bine his forces with Democratas, a combination which might have enabled him to retain the national leader ship or, at least, placed him on a vantage position to ha rass his victorious adversary “The question of leadership,” Don Sergio recalled without any sign of bitterness, “soon became at issue, and the Nacionalista party became di vided into two groups — one known as Nacionalistas and the other as Colectivistas. The elections of 1923 x x x did not give a majority to either group and resulted in the increase in the number of the opposition, the Democrata party, but without giv ing the majority capable of organizing the Assembly. "I had to appeal to the sense of patriotism of my fellow Nacionalistas when the lea der of the other group, Pres ident Quezon, started nego tiations for a coalition with his old colleagues in the Nacionalista party.” Consider ing the strength and promi nence of the protagonists. Osmena and Quezon, as well as their powerful allies, our national unity, Don Sergio’s life-long obsession, would have been dealt with a severe blow if the cleavage between the two leaders had not been healed. Again Quezon broke up with Don Sergio on the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Indepen dence Act which Congress rejected, with Quezon lead ing the forces for its rejec tion, only to accept jjs repro September 1967 5 duction, as was the TydingsMcDuffie Act. Rejection of the one and acceptance of the other but identical bill paved the way, of course, for the relegation of Don Sergio to the background and as sured Quezon’s choice as first President of the Common wealth. Don Sergio’s final act of supreme sacrifice at the altar of national duty took place when, by Constitu tional mandate, he was to take over the Presidency of the Commonwealth from President Quezon whose ten ure of office had expired or was about to expire. In a truly admirable spirit of selfrenunciation, the incoming President took the initiative to extend’ the tenure of the ailing Quezon. "Towards the end of the war,” Don Sergio recalled, "with the expiration of the term of office of President Quezon fast approaching the menace of a new cleavage between the Filipino leaders looked inevitable. But faith ful to the principle of na tional unity which had brought me to public life in 1907 and had guided my po licies and actions during all these years whether I was a b leader of the party or a sol dier in the ranks, I took the initiative of presenting the case to the leaders of the United States Congress, and a true friend of the Filipino people, Senator Millard E. Tydings, came to our rescue, who, upon my petition and with his support, a joint re solution was introduced by him xxx extending, for the duration of the war, the term of office of President Quezon. Filipino unity was again preserved.” And, upon approval of the resolu tion, Don Sergio, without losing time, addresesd him self to our people declaring: “These are critical days for individuals as well as nations. Our sense of responsibility as a people and the strength of our national solidarity have once more been tested. We have again proved our unity.” He could have said with Adlai E. Stevenson: “Let there be no tears for me . . . There are things more pre cious than political victory. For there is radiance and glory in the darkness could we but see, and, to see, we have only to look.” — Vicente L. Pastrana, Philippine He rald. Panorama
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