Tomás Confesor

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Valenzuela and the surname or paternal family name is Confesor.
José P. Laurel
Succeeded byAlfredo Montelibano Sr.
Governor of Iloilo
In office
1942–1945
Preceded byFermin Caram
Succeeded byPatricio Confesor
In office
1938[1]–1941
Preceded byTimoteo Y. Consing Sr.
Succeeded byOscar Ledesma
Member of the National Assembly from Iloilo's 3rd district
In office
September 16, 1935 – December 30, 1938
Preceded byAtanasio Ampig (as Representative)
Succeeded byAtanasio Ampig
Member of the House of Representatives from Iloilo's 3rd district
In office
1922–1931
Preceded byJosé E. Locsin
Succeeded bySilvestre Villa
Personal details
Born
Tomás Valenzuela Confesor

(1891-03-02)March 2, 1891
Philippine Commonwealth Army
Years of service1941–1945
Battles/warsWorld War II

Tomás Valenzuela Confesor (March 2, 1891

Philippine Department of the Interior under President Sergio Osmeña.[4]

Biography

Confesor was born to a "farmer-schoolteacher" in

municipal government and economics.[4] He earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of California and a Bachelor of Philosophy in economics from the University of Chicago.[1]

When he returned to the Philippines, he was briefly a teacher.

Jaro, Iloilo.v He was then elected to the Philippine Legislature in 1922 and served for three terms.[1] In 1933, he was appointed by the Governor-General of the Philippines Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. as the Director of Commerce, the first Filipino to hold that office.[1]

In 1934, he was

Philippine National Assembly, the body that replaced the Philippine Legislature.[1]

World War II resistance leader on Panay

When

Macario Peralta, Jr. led the armed guerrillas on Panay. Confesor and Peralta frequently clashed.[citation needed
]

During the war, the puppet governor of Iloilo urged Confesor to stop fighting.

Time Magazine called a "classic of resistance literature": "This war has placed us in the crucible to assay the metal in our being. . . . You underrate the nobility and grandeur of the character and soul of the Filipino. . . . I will not surrender as long as I stand on my feet."[4]

Immediately after the

liberation of Manila from the Japanese, during which Manila was largely destroyed, he was appointed mayor of Manila.[4] The destruction of Manila was so great that in Manila's business district only two buildings were not damaged and those two were looted of their plumbing.[6] On April 8, 1945 he was also appointed Secretary of the Interior.[1] Also after the war, he served as the Chief Philippine Delegate to the Far Eastern Commission.[7]

In 1946, he was elected to the

Philippine Senate.[1]

Positions on issues

In the

Nacionalista Party (Liberal wing)
(the precursor to today's Liberal Party).

He opposed "parity rights", providing rights to Philippine natural resources to American citizens and corporations equal to Philippine citizens and corporations, as required by the U.S.

Philippine parity rights plebiscite of 1947.[8]

Honours

President Sergio Osmeña awarded Confesor the Philippine Legion of Honor, degree of commander.[1]

Death

Confesor died of a heart attack on June 6, 1951, during his Senate term.[1] He was given a state funeral in 1951.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "About Tomas Confesor". The Philippine Diary Project. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2016. Published as To Leyte And Washington In 1944–1945 (A Diary Fragment Of Tomas Confessor) in Bulletin of the American Historical Collection Vol 10 No. 3 (40) July 1982
  2. ^ a b "Milestones, Jun. 18, 1951". Time Magazine. June 18, 1951. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Proclamation No. 391, s. 1957: DECLARING SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 1957, AS A SPECIAL PUBLIC HOLIDAY IN THE PROVINCE AND THE CITY OF ILOILO". Official Gazette. 1 March 1957. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "THE PHILIPPINES: The Metal in Our Being". Time Magazine. April 2, 1945. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  5. Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  6. ^ "War Scars". Time Magazine. April 16, 1945. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Letters, Mar. 18, 1946". Time Magazine. March 18, 1946. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  8. Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. Newspapers.com. Open access icon

External links
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