Tomas Valenzuela Confesor (Cabatuan, 2 March 1891 - Manila, 6 June 1951) was a Filipino politician.
Biography[Edit][]
Tomas Valenzuela Confesor was born on March 2, 1891 in Cabatuan in the province of Iloilo. He was the second of three sons of Julian Confesor and Prospera Valenzuela. After the Iloilo High School for some time he worked as a clerk and farmer and from 1909 a year as a teacher and head of the lower school in Cabatuan. Confesor left to the United States In 1910. There he completed two training courses. First, he obtained a bachelordegree in trade to the University of California in 1914 and then a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Chicago. During his studies, he earned a living as with a job as a janitor. After returning to the Philippines he taught first year economics at his former high school and was subsequently appointed to school supervisor in Jaro. In 1920, appointed head of Confesor the Bureau of Commerce and Industry.
In 1922 Confesor was elected to the House of representatives as a representative of the third electoral district of Iloilo. He was re-elected In 1925 and 1928. In his time in the House he became known under the nickname stormy petrel (storm bird), because of his crusade against abuses by the Philippine Government. Confesor was a member of various committees and for some time President of the Committee on trade and industry. In his last bout, he was Chairman of the Commission for the city of Manila. One of the laws that was initiated the Confessor Coorperatives Marketing Law (Act 3425), a law that the forms of corporations in agriculture promoted.
After his stint in the House was Confesor in 1933 by Governor General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. appointed first Filipino Director of the Bureau of Commerce. In 1934 he was one of the members of the Constitutional Convention of 1934 by whom the Philippine Constitution was designed. After the formation of the Commonwealth of the Philippines by Manuel L. Quezon Confesor was appointed head of the National Coorporatives Administration. He was also elected for three years in the new unicameral legislature or Philippine Assembly as a representative of the third electoral district of Iloilo.
In 1938, Confesor elected Governor of his native province Iloilo. Shortly after his re-election in 1941 the Japanese attacked the Philippines inside and names the reign over. He was asked by the Japanese to participate in the Government installed by them, but refused. Instead, he led guerrilla activities in Iloilo. For this he got after the reconquest of the Philippines by the Americans by president Sergio Osmeña the Legion of honor with the rank Commander. He was also on 8 april 1945 Osmeña appointed Minister of the Interior. In this period he spoke himself along with another guerrilla leader from Osmeñas Cabinet strongly against collaborators. So, he led campaign against a possible election of Jose Laurel as president of the Philippines.
After the Philippines obtained their independent, at the elections of 1946 Confesor was elected to the Senate of the Philippines. In 1951 followed a re-election for a second six-year term. Some time after these elections, however, he died at the age of 60 from a heart attack. He was married to Rosalina Grecia and got with her a son, Tomas junior. Patricio Confesor, the younger brother of Tomas, also was politician and served briefly as Governor of Iloilo after the war and was a member of the House of representatives.
Sources[Edit][]
- Syed m. Galang, Leaders of the Philippines: Inspiring Biographies or Successful Men and Women of the Philippines, National Publishing Company, Manila (1932)
- National Historical Institute, Filipinos in History, Vol 3, NHI, Manila (1992)
- Carlos Quirino, who's who in Philippine history, Tahanan Books, Manila (1995)
- Biography Tomas Confesor, Senate website (accessed on 9 december 2013)