Tomás Valenzuela Confesor (March 2, 1891 – June 6, 1951) was a Filipino politician and former

Senator of the Philippines The Senate of the Philippines () is the upper house of Congress of the Philippines, Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House of Representatives as the lower house. The ...

from 1946 to 1951. He was served as a governor of

Iloilo Iloilo ( ; ), officially the Province of Iloilo (; ; ; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independen ...

and later, all of

Panay Island Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of I ...

during the

Japanese occupation of the Philippines The Japanese occupation of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Hapones sa Pilipinas''; ) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when the Empire of Japan, Japanese Empire occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during Wo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Right after the war, he served as

Mayor of Manila The City Mayor of Manila (, sometimes referred to as, ''Alkalde ng Maynila'') is the head of the executive branch of Manila's city government. The mayor holds office at Manila City Hall. Like all local government heads in the Philippines, the m ...

and secretary of the

Philippine Department of the Interior The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public safety and strengthening local government capability aimed towards t ...

under President

Sergio Osmeña Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; zh, c=吳文釗, poj=Gô͘ Bûn-chiau; September 9, 1878 – October 19, 1961) was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, fourth president of the Ph ...

Biography

Confesor was born to a "farmer-schoolteacher" in

. 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 La Paz, Iloilo City, Philippines. It was founded in 1902 under the American colonial government forming as an adjunct ...

. He then went to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, which then ruled the Philippines, and worked while attending the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

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 Graduate student journal, produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related new ...

called the ''Filipino Student''. He later graduated from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

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 Jaro (, ) is a Districts of Iloilo City, district in Iloilo City, Philippines. It is the largest district in terms of both geographical area and population, with 130,700 people according to the 2020 census. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic ...

.v He was then elected to the

Philippine Legislature The Philippine Legislature was the legislature of the Philippines from 1907 to 1935, during the American colonial period, and predecessor of the current Congress of the Philippines. It was bicameral and the legislative branch of the Insular ...

in 1922 and served for three terms. In 1933, he was appointed by the

Governor-General of the Philippines The governor-general of the Philippines (; ; ) was the title of the Executive (government), government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, first by History of the Philippines (1521–1898), the Spanish in Mexico City and l ...

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 The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'') is the supreme law of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Constitutional Commission on October 12, 1986, and rat ...

and was subsequently elected to the

Philippine National Assembly The National Assembly of the Philippines (, ) refers to the legislature of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1941, and of the Second Philippine Republic during the Japanese occupation. The National Assembly of the Commonwealth w ...

, 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 Aklan, officially the Province of Aklan, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Its capital and largest town is Kalibo. The province is situated in the northwest portion of Panay, Panay Islan ...

Antique An antique () 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 to describe any object that i ...

Capiz Capiz (), officially the Province of Capiz (Capiznon language, Capiznon/Hiligaynon language, Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the central part of the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines ...

and

Romblon Romblon (, , ), officially the Province of Romblon, is an archipelagic province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. Its main components include Romblon, an archipelagic municipality of the same name that also serves as the provi ...

Macario Peralta, Jr. Macario Peralta Peralta Jr. (July 30, 1913 – January 7, 1975) was a Filipino soldier, lawyer, senator and Secretary of National Defense. Early life Peralta was born in Manila on July 30, 1913, of Ilocano-Pangasinan descent to Macario Maravi ...

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 ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

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 The Battle of Manila (; ; ; ) was a major battle during the Philippine campaign of 1944–45, during the Second World War. It was fought by forces from both the United States and the Philippines against Japanese troops in Manila, the capital ...

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 Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...

. Also after the war, he served as the Chief Philippine Delegate to the

Far Eastern Commission The Far Eastern Commission (FEC) was an Allied commission which supervised the occupation of Japan following its defeat in World War II. It succeeded the Far Eastern Advisory Commission (FEAC). Based in Washington, D.C., it was first agreed on at ...

. In 1946, he was elected to the

Philippine Senate The Senate of the Philippines () is the upper house of Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the House of Representatives as the lower house. The Senate is composed of 24 senators who are elected at-large (the country f ...

Positions on issues

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

Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party (Filipino language, Filipino and Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; , NP) is a political party in the Philippines which is the oldest existing party in the country and in Southeast Asi ...

over challenger and ultimate winner

Manuel Roxas Manuel Acuña Roxas (; January 1, 1892 – April 15, 1948) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fifth president of the Philippines from 1946 until his death in 1948. He served briefly as the third and last President of the ...

of the

Nacionalista Party (Liberal wing) The Liberal Party of the Philippines (, LP) is a liberal political party in the Philippines. Founded on January 19, 1946 by Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, and José Avelino from the breakaway liberal wing of the old Nacionalista, the Liberal r ...

(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 The Bell Trade Act of 1946, also known as the Philippine Trade Act, was an act passed by the United States Congress specifying policy governing trade between the Philippines and the United States following independence of the Philippines from the ...

and campaigned against approval of the parity rights constitutional amendment in the Philippine parity rights plebiscite of 1947.

Honours

President

awarded Confesor the Philippine Legion of Honor, degree of commander.

Death

Confesor died of a heart attack on June 6, 1951, during his Senate term. He was given a

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

in 1951.

References

External links

Diary of Tomas Confesor
published by the Philippine Diary Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Confesor, Tomas Governors of Iloilo Mayors of Manila Governors of Aklan Governors of Antique (province) Governors of Capiz University of Chicago alumni University of California alumni Recipients of the Philippine Legion of Honor Governors of Romblon Secretaries of the interior and local government of the Philippines Osmeña administration cabinet members 1891 births 1951 deaths Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Iloilo Members of the Philippine Legislature Members of the National Assembly of the Philippines Visayan people Senators of the 1st Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 2nd Congress of the Philippines Nacionalista Party politicians World War II Philippine resistance members Politicians from Iloilo