Sonny welcomes son’s ‘realization’

LOOKING back ten years after the Perdido Lex scam, there are few regrets for John-John Osmeña.

Except one he admits in his e-mail interview with Cebu Daily News: a broken relationship with his 78-year-old father, former senator John “Sonny” H. Osmeña.

“In retrospect, when looking at all that could have been and what was lost or missed, the damage that was done to my relationship with my father was the most significant. They say time heals all wounds. I hope we have enough time,” said John-John.

Sought for comment later, Sonny, who came out of political retirement to run for mayor of Toledo City, still blames his pet peeve Gov. Gwen Garcia for the fallout but welcomed what he called his son’s “realization”.

“Maayo kay naka matngon na siya. Naminaw pa siya nako di unta ni mahitabo. Unya kay nalarag man siya ni Gwen. (It’s good that he realized that. If he had only listened to me, this would have turned out differently. But he got poisoned by Gwen).”

While John-John would not say who he believes “framed” him, the former senator easily repeats his suspicion that former Cebu Gov. Pablo Garcia and daughter suspended Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia, set up his son.

“Kinsa pa man diay ang ni frame up? (Who else framed him?),” said the elder Osmena.

Perdido Lex, a non-existent foundation, was found to have siphoned at least P5 million from the Capitol. Incorporators were listed were staff and household helpers of Vice Governor John-John Osmena.

Sonny said the logbook in the Maryville Condominium where John-John stayed recorded several visits of Pabling and Gwen to John-John’s unit, sometimes overnight. He said that’s how they could have found out the names of household staff, who turned up as incorporators in the bogus Perdido Lex.

Before the 2004 polls, John-John was cozy with the Garcias and believed he was being groomed to run for governor despite warnings by his father not to trust the alliance.

Then the controversies blew up, he was dropped and Gwen was endorsed instead by her father for the governorship.

“Nisupak man siya nako , di gyud siya maminaw nako…tanawa ug unsay nahitabo?” Sonny told CDN in a telephone interview from Manila the other week.

(He defied me, he wouldn’t listen to me. Look what happened after.)

Asked whether they have reconciled over the conflict, the former senator acknowledged that relations with his son remain strained.

“Aduna bay relationship and duha ka tao nga wala na’ay communication? Wala na magkitaay?” said Sonny. (Is there a relationship between two people who don’t communicate or meet each other?)

“But this was a long time ago. We should not be talking about this anymore…” Sonny said.

“Personal naman ni sa among pamilya, kay nangutana man ka, gitubag nalang tika,” he said.

Sonny recalled that the last time he met his son was during a lunch arranged by his sister Annie Osmeña Aboitiz in 2011 in Cebu as an attempt to mend the rift.

Sonny said he brought along “Johnny Boy”, John-John’s gradeschool son by a previous relationship, who lives with the former senator.

The veteran politician said he has lost touch with his son since then.