Quintín Babila Paredes Sr. (born Quintín Paredes y Babila; September 9, 1884 – January 30, 1973) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, and statesman.

Early life

He was born in Bangued, Abra, Philippines in 1884 to ''Don'' Juan Félix Paredes y Pe Benito and Regine Babila.

Education and early career

He obtained his elementary education at the school his father had established, and also studied at the Colegio Seminario de Vigan and at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. He pursued law at the Escuela de Derecho de Manila. Graduating in 1907, Paredes took and passed the bar examinations the same year, and started his private practice in Manila. He was appointed fourth prosecuting attorney on July 9, 1908, first prosecuting attorney on November 1, 1913, and served until March 1, 1917.Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: Paredes, Quintin
(HTML) Accessed August 9, 2007.

Government service

He served as Philippine Solicitor General from March 1, 1917 to 1918, as Attorney-General from 1918 to July 1, 1920, and as Secretary of Justice from 1920 to 1921. As Attorney-General, Paredes was a member of the first parliamentary mission to the United States in 1919. He resumed the practice of law in Manila in 1921.

Political career

House of Representatives

He was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives to represent the

Abra's at-large congressional district Abra's at-large congressional district refers to the lone congressional district of the Philippines in the province of Abra. Abra has been represented in the country's various national legislatures since 1898. The first congressional delegation c ...

in 1925, 1928, 1931, and 1934, serving as Speaker pro tempore of the House of Representatives from 1929 to 1931, and as the Speaker itself from 1933 till 1935. In 1935 he was elected as a member of the Philippine Assembly but he resigned to serve as the Philippines' Resident Commissioner.Official Website of the Senate of the Philippines: Biography of Senate President Paredes
(HTML) Accessed August 9, 2007. Under the Tydings–McDuffie Act that created the Philippine Commonwealth Government, Paredes became its first Resident Commissioner, serving from February 14, 1936, until his resignation on September 29, 1938. In 1938 he was again elected a member of the Philippine Assembly, and served as the Majority Floor Leader during this term. He was also elected as a member of the Philippine Senate from 1941 to 1945 that did not sit in session due to the onset of World War II and the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines. After the Second World War, Paredes ran again for his old post representing Abra in the Philippine House of Representatives, and won. He held this post from 1946 to 1949.

Senate

In the Philippine elections of 1949, Paredes topped the Senatorial race as a candidate of the Liberal Party. He briefly became the President of the Philippine Senate in 1952, and was reelected as a Philippine Senator in 1955, finishing his second term in 1961. Retiring from politics in 1963, Paredes died ten years later in Manila.

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