DNA Test Reveals President Sergio Osmena's Real Father Was Antonio Sanson, Not Pedro Gotiaoco
Historians can finally put their theories to rest. A DNA test has unveiled the centuries-old mystery of former Philippine President Sergio Osmena Sr.’s father. According to genealogists, Osmeña’s father was not Don Pedro Lee Gotiaoco but Don Antonio Sanson, a wealthy Chinese mestizo landowner who hailed from one of the oldest families of Cebu.
In commemoration of Osmeña Sr.’s 145th birth anniversary, his descendants commissioned a DNA test to finally settle the question of his paternity. With the help of genealogist Todd Sales Lucero and historian and National Artist for Literature Dr. Resil Mojave, the Osmeña family revealed the discovery on June 2, 2023.
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The DNA test was conducted with the participation of Osmeña’s direct male descendants in the Osmeña, Gotiaoco, and Sanson families, namely former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, Ronnie Sanson, and an unnamed Gotiaoco relative. The results showed a 100 percent match between the Sanson family and Osmeña’s descendants, settling the question of Sergio Osmeña Sr.’s father once and for all.
For decades, Osmeña’s father was believed to be Pedro Lee Singson Gotiaoco, the ancestor of the Gokongwei, Gotianuy, Gotianun, and Gaisano families.
Born in 1878, Sergio Osmena Sr. was the illegitimate son of Juana Osmeña y Suico of the prominent Osmeña family of Cebu. Juana was only 14 years old at the time of Sergio’s birth, and Antonio Sanson was already a married man. Taking his mother’s last name, Sergio and Juana lived as dependents of Dona Paula Suico, Juana’s mother. A scion of the wealthy Suico family, Paula was the second wife of Severino Osmeña, a powerful leader in Cebu’s Chinese mestizo community.
Due to the nature surrounding Sergio Osmeña’s birth, his relationship with the Osmeña line was complicated.
According to Ilustrado Politics by Michael Cullinane, “His relationship with the ‘other Osmeñas’ was distant, and he was not clearly accepted by them until after he had established himself as a prominent political figure in Cebu society.”
Cullinane further writes, “It is possible to speculate that the young Osmeña’s social predicament contributed greatly to his ambitious, no-nonsense approach to life and work. Sergio grew up among Cebu’s elite, played with them, went to school with them, and but it took some time before he was fully one of them.”
Watch the full unveiling of Sergio Osmeña Sr.’s paternity reveal below:
