Tomás Valenzuela Confesor (March 2, 1891 – June 6, 1951) was a Filipino politician and former Senator of the Philippines from 1946 to 1951. He was served as a governor of Iloilo and later, all of Panay Island during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. Right after the war, he served as Mayor of Manila and secretary of the

Philippine Department of the Interior The Department of the Interior and Local Government ( fil, Kagawaran ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal), abbreviated as DILG, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public saf ...

under President Sergio Osmeña.

Biography

Confesor was born to a "farmer-schoolteacher" in Iloilo. He graduated from the

Iloilo High School The Iloilo National High School (INHS), formerly the Iloilo High School is a Provincial Junior and Senior High School located in Iloilo City, Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Phili ...

. He then went to the United States, which then ruled the Philippines, and worked while attending the University of California for three years. In 1912, while at the University of California, he was a founder of a new pro-Philippine independence

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...

called the ''Filipino Student''. He later graduated from the University of Chicago in Illinois with a major in

municipal government A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

and economics. 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. When he returned to the Philippines, he was briefly a teacher. He served as supervisor of Jaro, Iloilo.v He was then elected to the Philippine Legislature in 1922 and served for three terms. 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. In 1934, he was elected to the Philippine Constitutional Convention that drafted the

1935 Constitution of the Philippines Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart bec ...

and was subsequently elected to the Philippine National Assembly, the body that replaced the Philippine Legislature.

World War II resistance leader on Panay

When Japan attacked the Philippines on December 8, 1941, Confesor was in Manila. He was chief of the National Cooperatives Association while also governor of Iloilo. He escaped to Panay on a small sailboat. He fled to the mountains of Panay along with his wife and children to help lead the resistance to the Japanese occupation. He led the civilian government first of Iloilo and then he was appointed by Philippine President Quezon as “wartime governor of Free Panay and Romblon”, which includes the provinces of Aklan,

Antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

, Capiz and Romblon.

Macario Peralta, Jr. Macario Peralta Jr. (July 30, 1913 – January 7, 1975) was a Filipino soldier, lawyer, senator and Secretary of National Defense. Early life Born in Manila on July 30, 1913 of Ilocano- Pangasinan descent, Peralta grew up in Tarlac. He finished ...

led the armed guerrillas on Panay. Confesor and Peralta frequently clashed. During the war, the puppet governor of Iloilo urged Confesor to stop fighting. Confesor replied in what 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." Immediately after the liberation of Manila from the Japanese, during which Manila was largely destroyed, he was appointed mayor of Manila. 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. On April 8, 1945 he was also appointed Secretary of the Interior. Also after the war, he served as the Chief Philippine Delegate to the Far Eastern Commission. In 1946 he was elected to the Philippine Senate. He died of a heart attack on June 6, 1951.

Positions on issues

In the 1946 presidential election he supported incumbent Pres. Osmeña of the

Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party (Filipino and Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; ) is the oldest political party in both the Philippines and in Southeast Asia in general. It is responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th ce ...

over challenger and ultimate winner Manuel Roxas of the

Nacionalista Party (Liberal wing) The Liberal Party (Filipino and Spanish: ''Partido Liberal''), abbreviated as the LP, is a liberal political party in the Philippines. Founded on January 19, 1946, by Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino ...

(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. Bell Trade Act and campaigned against approval of the parity rights constitutional amendment in the Philippine parity rights plebiscite of 1947.

Honours

President Osmeña awarded him the Philippine Legion of Honor, degree of commander. He was given a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

in 1951.

References

External links