Don Sergio Osmeña’s El Nuevo Dia

Don Sergio Osmeña’s rise to national fame started with him being a journalist. His career as a journalist began on April 16, 1900 with the maiden appearance of the El Nuevo Dia, the first daily newspaper in Cebu. His co-editors were Rafael Palma (also a lawyer, he was elected senator in 1916 representing the 4th Senatorial District and also the fourth President of the University of the Philippines, a street in Cebu City is named after him) and Jaime C. De Veyra (a street in Cebu City is named after him, he was from Leyte, and became Governor of Leyte, Representative of the National Assembly).

El Nuevo Dia was published during the early days of the American Occupation where media censorship was used as a tool to stop and abort Filipino uprising against the new colonizers. The first daily newspaper in Cebu measures 21x12 inches. It ceased printing in 1902 but resumed as a triweekly paper instead of as a daily on June 19, 1902. Don Sergio’s capitalist for the newspaper was Don Nicasio Chiong Veloso who became his father-in-law on April 10, 1901 after he married Estefania Chiong Veloso (her mother was Genoveva Rosales). Estefania is more known as Doña Pepang.

Don Sergio took the Bar on April 1903 and was admitted to the Bar on April 16, 1903. He placed second and had the grade of 95.66. Don Sergio became Acting Governor of Cebu on April 23, 1904 when the first elected Governor of Cebu, Juan Faller Climaco was appointed one of Philippine Commissioners to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in the United States. He had a concurrent position as Provincial Fiscal of Cebu, on July 25, 1903. It made Don Sergio famous among the Americans and the Cebuanos when he prosecuted American criminals and abuses at the same time freeing Cebuanos who were unjustly arrested by American constables.

He was elected Governor of Cebu on February 5, 1906 and was elected as Member of the 1st National Assembly on July 30, 1907 and elected by his fellow assemblymen as the first Speaker of the Philippine Congress on October 16, 1907.

He was elected senator on June 6, 1907 representing the 10th Senatorial District and became Senate President Pro-tempore and Majority Floor Leader. On August 1, 1944 he was sworn as President of the Philippines in Washington, D.C., earning him the distinction of being the only president who was sworn outside of the country during a war.