Osmeña matriarch dies at age 98

BACOLOD City, Philippines—The wife of former senator Sergio Osmeña Jr. died on Sunday in a hospital in Bacolod City where she had been confined for four years.

Lourdes de la Rama Osmeña, 98, succumbed to multiple organ failure secondary to sepsis, and acute respiratory failure secondary to pneumonia at the Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital at 8:45 a.m.

She is survived by her children Senator Sergio “Serge” Osmeña III, Representative Tomas Osmeña, socialiate Minnie Osmeña, Esteban Osmeña and Georgia Osmeña.

Lourdes, daughter of former senator Esteban de la Rama, had pneumonia four years ago and decided to stay at the hospital since then.

“It has been three years since she has been unable to recognize people, even her children, and her eyesight was failing,” said Serge.

“Her being at the hospital ensured that she was well taken care of and comfortable,” he added.

On Sunday morning, Lourdes was being given a sponge bath by her nurses when she suddenly panted and then died, said Maggie Jalandoni, cousin of Tomas’ wife, Cebu City councilor Margot Osmeña.

Serge said he received a text message on Sunday morning that his mother died.

“She was confined at the hospital but had no serious illness, her death was not expected. It (the death) was just due to old age. She just stopped breathing,” the senator said.

Jalandoni was attending to the remains of Lourdes at the funeral parlor Sunday until her children arrived.

She said Lourdes will lie in state at the social hall of the Redemptorist Church in Bacolod. Jalandoni said she didn’t know the family’s plans.

Serge, Tomas and Georgia were expected to arrive at the Redemptorist Church on Sunday night. Esteban would be in Bacolod on Monday while Minnie would fly in on Tuesday.

Serge told Philippine Daily Inquirer that they would wait for the arrival of Minnie from New York City on Tuesday and they would decide then on the burial arrangements.

But he added they might hold the wake in Bacolod for four days before bringing his mother’s remains to Cebu City where she would be buried with their father at the family mausoleum in Cebu.

Sergio Jr., former senator and son of former president Sergio Osmeña Sr., died of respiratory failure at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, on March 26, 1984. Lourdes then packed her bags and returned to Bacolod where she had been based since.

“She was a farmer at heart. She was her father’s daughter,” said Serge.

Lourdes was born in Iloilo to farmer and businessman Esteban de la Rama and Natividad Aguilar.

Her father later expanded his business and farm holdings to Negros. He was also elected two terms as senator – 1941 to 1945 and 1946 to 1947 representing Western Visayas.

Before Lourdes met Sergio Jr., she helped her father run their farms and the De la Rama steam ships.

Serge said his mother never liked politics. She would only go to Cebu, two days before the elections, to vote.

She was also concerned about the legacy her father gave her to take care of the farms, he added.

“When my father died, she return to Bacolod and did not want to live anywhere else,” said Serge.

(With a report from Edison delos Angeles, Inquirer Visayas)