Mimo Osmeña, Cebuano businessman and Promdi leader, passes away

Local

CEBUANO businessman and politician Mariano "Mimo" Osmeña III, son of the late Cebu governor Lito Osmeña, has reportedly died, prompting an outpouring of grief from friends and local officials.

Osmeña reportedly passed away on Wednesday, July 15. The cause of death has yet to be publicly disclosed by his family.

Local officials and other personalities took to social media to mourn his death, though the family has not disclosed further details.

Among those who paid tribute was Dr. Elisse Nicole Catalan, daughter of Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro and the Capitol's public health consultant, who described Osmeña as a family friend spanning generations.

She said Osmeña introduced her parents to each other decades ago, calling him "Tito Mimo" and crediting him with helping bring her family together.

"Tito Mimo and Pops had been very good friends since the 1980s… Pops is very sad that you are gone. Mumy is, too. We will all miss you dearly. Thank you for bringing our family together and for always being there for us. Rest well, Tito Mimo," she said.

Osmeña was the eldest son of former Cebu Governor Emilio Mario "Lito" Osmeña Jr., who served as governor from 1988 to 1992 and was widely credited as the architect of "Ceboom," Cebu's rapid economic development in the early 1990s.

The Osmeña family is one of the most prominent political dynasties in the Philippines — Mimo was the grandson of the late President Sergio Osmeña, the country's fourth president, and part of a lineage that includes former senators Sergio Osmeña III and John Henry "Sonny" Osmeña, and former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña.

In business, Osmeña served as president of MRC Allied Industries, a listed Philippine company.

Politically, he had long been floated for elected office by his father but largely stayed out of electoral contests.

In 2016, he dismissed speculation that he would run for Congress, citing his residency in Cebu City.

Ahead of the 2022 elections, his father pushed for him to run for Cebu City's 1st District congressional seat under PROMDI, the party Lito founded in 1997, but Osmeña ultimately did not file his candidacy.

Following his father's death in 2021, Osmeña took over leadership of Promdi (Progressive Movement for the Devolution of Initiatives) and its affiliate Abag-Promdi, reviving the dormant party per his father's last wishes.

As party president, he helped bring boxer-turned-senator Manny Pacquiao into PROMDI ahead of Pacquiao's 2022 presidential run and was named among Pacquiao's economic managers during that campaign.(RBE)