TOMAS CONFESOR: THE ECONOMIST

Speech delivered by Gov. Conrado J. Norada in Cabatuan, Iloilo on the occasion of the 81st birth anniversary of Governor Confesor.

As governor of Iloilo, I find the occasion full of meaning and significance because it is in honor of one of my most illustrious predecessors whose life has been my inspiration.

I wonder if many of us realize that we are now gathered in the only town in the province of Iloilo that has produced two provincial chief executives:  Governor Tomas Confesor and his worthy younger brother, Governor Patricio Confesor, whom I pray God will preserve for many more years.

The Confesor family of Cabatuan shares with the Yulo family of Molo the distinction of having contributed two brothers each as governor of Iloilo. The Yulos produced Governor Gregorio Yulo who served from 1918-1920, and Governor Jose Yulo whose term was from 1931 to 1934.

But the Confesor family holds one distinct honor that has never been and my never be equaled in the history of the entire Philippines. This is the honor of Tomas Confesor for having been the only man to serve as governor of four provinces.

To Tomas Confesor establishing records seemed to be a natural thing.  When he was a student, his record at the Iloilo National High School remained unsurpassed for many years. As a legislator, he shone so brightly that he has known as “the Stormy Petrel”.  As a politician, he started the now famous “grass-rots campaign” while Ramon Magsaysay who later used it to best advantage was still in knee-pants.  And as a patriot and resistance movement leader, he won the admiration of no less than President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

As provincial governor he was the first to come from the truly timawa class, and the fruits of his achievements are still being enjoyed by our people today.

Tomas Confesor excelled in everything he did that he became a legend long before he died in 1951.

Much has been said about this illustrious son of Iloilo. His virtues as politician, legislator, statesman, and patriot have been extolled time and again especially during the observance of his birth anniversary.

Today I would like to speak on a least discussed but I think a very important facet of Confesor’s life.  I wish to talk of him as an economist he really was a great obsession in the life of Tomas Confesor, it was his obsession for the economic being of his people.

It was this burning desire to help improve and develop the economy of his country that made him major in economics at the University of Chicago from where he obtain his degree in 1916.  On his return to the Philippines, he taught economics at the University of the Philippines and became the dean of the College of Business Administration of the University of Manila.

While he recognized the nobility of the teaching profession and his role in the training of economists and businessmen, Tomas Confesor felt that he could do more if he was in public service so he entered politics.

Elected representative in 1922, he put his fertile mind to the task of proposing legislation for the economic development of the country in the general and of the 3^rd District of Iloilo in the particular.  He was reelected twice, in 1925 and in 1928.  During his three terms in Congress, Confesor brought home to his district so much public improvement that he became the darling of the masses.

In 1930, still in pursuit of his obsession foe economic development, Confesor accepted the directorship of the Bureau of Commerce.  Here he had the opportunity to put into actual practice what he had learned in college.  His thorough knowledge of Philippine conditions and Filipino psychology plus the modern economic theories stocked in his mind enabled him to formulate progressive policies in Philippines commerce and trade.  He served as Director of Commerce until 1934 when he ran and was elected as delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

He had another term as assemblyman from 1935 to 1937 when he was elected provincial governor. It was in 1937 when he was elected provincial governor.  It was in 1937 while he was governor that important public works projects, like major roads and bridges, were completed. He believed that in order to open up areas for development, especially in agriculture, these had to be made accessible to transportation.  This is still a sound economic policy up to this day.

The elections of 1940 pitted Confesor the economist vested interests in Iloilo plus the full support of Malacañang. Quezon, Osmeña, the Lopezes, Zulueta, and the whole Nacionalista Party ganged up on Confesor but the masses who by then had realized his sound economic policies for the province rallied behind him.  The election results made political history and Confesor became the hero of the opposition in the whole country.

Although he opposed Quezon, the president recognized Confesor’s competence as an economist so that he appointed Confesor to organized and head the National Cooperative Administration even before the expiration of his term as governor.  Had the war not come, the cooperative movements have been long well established in the Philippines.  Today we are still trying to educate our people in cooperative way.

The war cut short Confesor’s efforts to speed up economic development.  But even those dark days under enemy occupation proved his economic prowess.  As many of you may remember, there was no hunger or much economic difficulty during the war.  Governor Confesor’s Food Production Campaign was a resounding success.

The world had known how Confesor stood to the enemy as the symbol of Filipino indomitable courage and patriotism.  But equally important, though the world did not know much about it, was his achievement in saving his people of Panay and Romblon from famine, hunger and malnutrition. To my humble mind, this accomplishment deserves the eternal gratitude of all Ilonggos.

As we observed the 81^st birthday anniversary of Tomas Confesor, I would urge our people to think of him as statesman and patriot, but at the same time, I would like us to remember him as one of the fathers of economic development.  In these days of economic difficulties, I think the relevance of Confesor lies more in his being an economist.

Tomas Confesor started the systematic planning of Iloilo’s economic development as assemblyman and governor.  I believe it is the responsibility of our present provincial administration to pursue that development, and in the process I call on all our citizenry to extend their cooperation.

Let us remember Confesor the man, the politician, the statesman, the patriot, and, in this time of hardships that challenge all our collective talents and efforts, let us also remember Confesor the economist, the father of Iloilo’s economic development.