CEBUpedia

CEBU, Philippines - It is the street perpendicular to the streets of Gen. Arcadio Maxilom and N.G. Escario. It traverses the streets of Aboitiz, M.P. Yap and Don Jose Avila.

Juana, was the mother of Don Sergio S. Osmeña, the first and only Cebuano who became President of the Philippines. Juana, was the daughter of Don Severino Osmeña and Dona Paula Suico.

The father of Juana, Don Severino, married twice, his first wife was Vicenta Rita. Of the first marriage, they had the following children: Eduviges, Tomas (married Faustina Rafols), Guillermo, Victoriano (married Januaria Cabrera), Pedro, Inocenta, Basilia, and Claudia.

Don Severino with his second wife, Paula Suico had two children: Lazaro (married Celestina Gandiongco) and Juana who had one child, and named him Sergio. Juana was only fourteen years old when she gave birth to Sergio who later became known as Don Sergio S. Osmeña Sr. Juana did not marry (the reason why Sergio carried the middle name and family name of his mother), but the man who was said to be the father of Don Sergio was Don Pedro Lee Gotiaoco, a rich Chinese Merchant who built the Gotiaoco Building (along M.C. Briones) now known as the Cebu Chinese Heritage Museum.

The half-brother of Juana, Don Tomas and his wife Doña Faustina Rafols children were girls who became nuns, thus his nephew Sergio became his favorite and he helped him in his education and became a father figure. When Don Sergio became a lawyer, he acted as his Uncle (Don Tomas) and Auntie's (Doña Faustina) legal counsel in their business affairs and court cases.

The half-brother of Juana, Don Victoriano who married Doña Januaria Cabrera had seven children: Juanita, married Governor Arsenio Climaco (nephew of Juan Climaco, the first elected Governor of Cebu, the father of Arsenio named Valeriano who married Gliceria Veloso was the brother of Juan Faller Climaco), Josefa (married Eduardo Ramirez), Carmen (married Jose Medalle), Luis (married Concepcion Climaco), Vicente (married Remedios Niez), Fernanda (married Porferio Velez),  Tomas (married Filomena Climaco), Carmen married Don Jose Medalle and Josefa married Don Gregorio Ramirez.

The Osmeña's who married a Climaco were: Gov. Arsenio Climaco, who married Juanita Osmeña and Luis Osmeña who married Concepcion Climaco.

The Suico's, of the mother side of Juana were one of the old families of Parian and Mandaue. The other Suico's were Adela, who married Don Jose Avila, and Florencia Suico, who married Don Teresio Villa.

Juana Osmeña St. is the first street in Cebu City named after a woman, the privilege of having been the mother of the first and only Cebuano who became President of the Philippines.