Sa wakas, natuldukan na ang halos isa at kalahating siglong misteryong bumabalot sa katauhan ni former President Sergio Osmeña Sr.
Si Osmeña ay ang ika-apat na pangulo ng Pilipinas na nanilbihan mula 1944-1946.
Dati rin siyang bise presidente, kalihim, at senador ng bansa. Naging kongresista at gobernador siya sa kanyang hometown sa Cebu.
Sa kabila ng pagiging prominent public figure, si Osmeña ay may isang isyung kinasangkutan na hindi mamatay-matay: sino ang kanyang biological father?
Si Osmeña ay anak sa labas o illegitimate child. Maging siya ay naging malihim ukol sa katauhan ng kanyang tunay na ama.
Binitbit niya ito hanggang sa kanyang hukay. Namatay si Osmeña noong October 16, 1961 sa edad na 83.
Pero ngayong June 2, 2023, o 62 years ang nakalilipas matapos niyang pumanaw, natukoy at nakumpirma na ang kanyang biological father sa tulong ng DNA testing.
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COMMISSIONED DNA TESTING by Osmeña descendants
Isang press conference ang ginanap ngayong Biyernes sa Cebu.
Tinawag itong “Sergio Osmeña Sr.’s True Father. The Big Reveal.”
Isang paternity project—sa tulong ng DNA testing—ang kinomisyon ng mga descendants ni Osmeña para alamin ang katotohanan.
Ngayong araw isinapubliko ang resulta ng DNA testing na in-upload sa The Filipino Genealogy Channel.
Humarap sa pagsisimula ng presscon si Maria Lourdes “Marilou” Bernardo, ang great-great granddaughter ni Osmeña.
Sabi ni Marilou, dati pa nilang nais masagot ang tanong kung sino ba talaga ang ama ng kanilang lolo.
Ngayong taon ay nakilala nila si Todd Lucero Sales, isang professional forensic genealogist.
Sabi ni Marilou, “Todd uses the study of lineage or descent from an ancestor, whether [for] legal o [for] public discussion, about family history.”
Si Sales ay isa ring columnist at book author ukol sa genealogy at history.
Ang genealogy ay ang pag-aaral sa family history at pag-trace sa lineage.
SALES EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANCE OF FINDING OUT about OSMEÑA’S FATHER
Ipinaliwanag ni Sales ang kahalagahan ng pagtukoy sa biological father ng dating pangulo.
Sabi ng eksperto, ito ay para matuldukan na ang ayaw mamatay-matay na isyu ukol sa tunay na ama ni Osmeña.
Sabi ni Sales, “Even though there are some who would say that it has already been proven based on circumstantial evidences who his father was, many historians and history buffs would still say that there are still lingering questions about who his true father was.”
Lumalabas na tinanggap na lang ng karamihan ang ipinakilalang ama ni Osmeña na mababasa sa Internet at database.
Pero sabi Sales, “The point is there is no definitive proof to all of these are claims.
“All of these are based on circumstantial evidences, and most importantly, from family lore. None of them, of course, would stand in court.”
Giit niya, ang DNA test ay “the only way to prove the paternity of President Osmeña.”
OSMEÑA’S PARENTS
Kung maghahalungkat sa search engine na Google, ang sinasabing ama ni Osmeña ay si Don Pedro Lee Singson Gotiaoco.
Ito rin ang nasa archive sa kilalang American commercial genealogy and social networking website na Geni.com.
Si Osmeña ay isinilang noong September 9, 1878. Ang kanyang ina ay si Juana Osmeña, na galing sa isang mayaman at maimpluwensiyang pamilya sa Cebu.
Pero isinilang ni Juana si Osmeña na isang ilehitimo. Ang apelyido ni Juana ang ipinagamit sa anak.
Nabalot ng misteryo ang pagsilang kay Osmeña.
Sabi pa ni Sales, “There was also a story about how the mother of Juana Osmeña supposedly tried to abort the child because of the scandal that she caused by bearing a child outside of wedlock.”
Kahit daw isang politician si Osmeña, ayaw raw niyang pinag-uusapan ang tungkol sa kanyang ama at ina.
“Osmeña was very reluctant to discuss his parents. Throughout his life, he was very mysterious about his father,” lahad ni Sales.
Sundot niya pa, “Among [our] 17 presidents, he was the only illegitimate. Today we will legitimize Sergio Osmeña…”
who are pedro gotiaoco and antonio sanson?
Ang tumayong ama ni Osmeña ay si Pedro Singson Gotiaoco, isang purong Chinese.
Nag-migrate siya mula sa China at ang kanyang kuwento ay rags to riches.
Naging pangalawang asawa ni Don Pedro si Juana.
Nagkaroon ng tatlong anak na lalaki si Don Pedro mula sa unang asawa. Pero kinilala niyang pang-apat na anak si Osmeña.
Si Don Pedro rin ang sumuporta sa edukasyon ni Osmeña sa University of San Carlos sa Cebu at sa University of Santo Tomas.
Todd Lucero Sales, isang professional forensic genealogist, talks about Don Pedro Gotiaoco, a pure Chinese who migrated to the Philippines and had a rags-to-riches story.
Ang isa pang lalaki na sinasabing ama ni Osmeña ay si Don Antonio Sanson, isang Chinese mestizo.
Ang family background niya ay katulad ng kay Juana. Si Don Antonio ay mula sa may-kaya at prominenteng pamilya sa Cebu.
Ani Sales, si Don Antonio ay ikinasal nang tatlong beses, pero base sa kanyang pananaliksik ay nagkaroon lamang ito ng isang anak na babae.
Binanggit ni Sales ang nahalungkat niyang 1968 article kung saan nabanggit na si Don Antonio ay kasal na noon, kung kaya’t hindi niya puwedeng makapiling si Juana.
May makulay ring kuwento si Sales mula sa kanyang nasaliksik.
May isang gaming parlor o pasugalan daw noon ang pamilya ni Juana sa Cebu at kabilang sa mga pumupunta roon ay sina Don Antonio at Don Pedro.
Sabi ni Sales, hindi malayo na nagkikita roon at magkakakilala sina Juana, Don Antonio, at Don Pedro.
Binanggit din ni Sales ang nasaliksik niya na madalas daw noong makitang magkasamang naglalakad sina Don Antonio at Juana.
Sales talks about the identity of Don Antonio Sanson, a Chinese meztiso from an affluent family in Cebu, who was linked to Juan Osmeña, former President Sergio Osmeña Sr.'s mother.
Ibinahagi ni Sales na bago pa man daw lumabas ang DNA results, may ilang historians na naniniwalang ang tunay na ama talaga ni Osmeña ay si Don Antonio.
Isa na rito ang American historian na si Michael Cullinane.
Binanggit ni Sales na sa 2022 book ni Cullinane na The Chinese Mestizos of Cebu City: 1700-1900, may direct reference na isinulat ang author na ang ama ni Osmeña ay si Don Antonio.
Ibig sabihin, kahit ang general information ay sinasabing si Don Pedro ang ama ni Osmeña, hindi ito tanggap ng lahat.
OSMEÑA CARRIED HIS SECRET UNTIL HIS DEATH
Ang tanong, alam ba ni Osmeña kung sino talaga ang kanyang totoong ama?
Lumalabas na alam ito ni Osmeña, batay sa pahayag ni Sales sa press con.
Pahayag ni Sales, “In his last years, it is said that Don Sergio wanted to tell his family who his father was.
“There are several people today who have heard it second-hand, and some third-hand, from people who knew the story…
“That Don Sergio, before he died, wanted to tell his children and grandchildren who his father was.
“Unfortuanely, his wife at that time, second wife, Doña Esperanza, decided it was not the right time to tell people about it.”
Ang sapantaha raw ni Sales, “Probably she didn’t want to rock the boat. She didn’t want the members of the family insulted, or perhaps offended by the truth of her husband’s father. We don’t know…”
DNA TESTING
Sabi ni Sales, nasa panahon na tayo ngayon na “more commercialized, accessible, affordable, and more reliable and accurate” ang DNA testing.
Binanggit pang halimbawa ni Sales kung paano nakilala ang mga labi ni King Richard III (1452-1485) ng Inglatera sa pamamagitan ng DNA testing o genetic genealogy.
Isinailalim sa testing ang DNA mula sa sinasabing mga labi ng hari at ang DNA ng kanyang distant descendants noong 2015.
Nag-match ang mga DNA at kumpirmadong ang mga nahukay ay labi nga ni King Richard III ang mga nahukay kahit na 500 years na ang nakalilipas.
Sabi nga ni Sales, ang paggamit ng DNA testing “has helped solve century-old cases.”
FINDING OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT OSMEÑA’S BIOLOGICAL FATHER
Ang ginamit ni Sales ay ang Y chromosome DNA testing na ginagawa sa mga lalaki lamang, dahil males lang ang may Y chromosome.
Sa kasong ito, tatlong lalaki ang kailangang paghambingin—si Osmeña, si Don Pedro, at Don Antonio.
Ani Sales, “Y chromosome is passed on in the same pattern as our family [last] names.
“In many cases Y chromosome testing is often used to investigate questions, such as whether two families with the same surnames are related, or at least descend from the same direct male line.
“It will never give you false results because it will prove that this man was the father of this man, whose the son of this man, etc.”
Giit niya, “If the Y DNA does not match, then it will automatically dispute paternity or kinship.”
Tatlong lalaki ang kinunan ng Y chromosome DNA—ang descendants nina Osmeña, Don Pedro, at Don Antonio.
Kinunan ng DNA si Cebu Mayor Tomas K. Osmeña, apo ni dating Pangulong Osmeña; si “Pedro Go” (di tunay na pangalan), apo ni Don Pedro; at si Ronnie Sanson, na apo ni Don Julian Sanson, na first cousin ni Don Antonio.
Ani Sales, bagamat hindi direktang apo si Ronnie ni Don Antonio ay maituturing pa rin siyang “direct male line” at ang makukuhang DNA kay Ronnie ay “sufficient safe sample.”
Unang ipinakita ni Sales ang comparison ng 23 genetic markers nina Tomas Osmeña at “Pedro Go.”
“The results indicate that they only match in 9 out of 23 [genetic] markers is non-genetic connection in the paternal line.”
Ibig sabihin nito, sina Tomas at “Pedro” ay hindi parehong nanggaling sa lahi ni Don Pedro.
Sunod na ipinakita ni Sales ang comparison nina Tomas at Ronnie.
Nag-match ang 23 genetic markers.
Ani Sales, “There is 100 percent match in the DNA of the Osmeña and the Sansons.
“Thus, genetically, Tomas Osmeña and Ronnie Sanson cannot be excluded from being of the same male lineage. They are most likely of the same male lineage.
“Tomas Osmeña is 99.982 percent more likely to be patrilineally [sic] related to the father’s line to Ronnie Sanson.
“So in other words, the 100 percent match of the 23 markers indicates that they are closely related in the parents line and share more recent common ancestor, within 3-5 generations.”
Pagtatapos ni Sales, “Thanks to DNA testing, I can now confidently declare that Don Antonio Sanson was the real father of President Sergio Osmeña Sr.”
Sales confirms that Don Antonio is Osmeña's biological father based on the DNA testing results.