CEBU, Philippines – Former senator and Toledo City mayor John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña returned home on Wednesday evening, July 8, after being confined in a hospital due to the coronavirus.

“The senator was discharged yesterday (Wednesday) July 8 after 20 days confinement for COVID-19,” Ferliza Contratista, a friend of the family authorized to speak to media, told Rappler.

She confirmed that he initially tested positive but was released after already testing negative.

“He is now healing from bed sores in one of his residences in Cebu City,” Contratista said.

Osmeña is the brother of former Cebu governor Emilio “Lito” Osmeña and cousin of former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña. 

He most recently served two terms as mayor of Toledo, a city on the western side of Cebu. Osmeña was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer in July after losing his last electoral bid for the mayorship of Toledo.

Toledo is a part of Cebu province which now has over 1,000 cases of coronavirus. Cebu province was named among emerging hot spots of the contagion in the Philippines. – Rappler.com