Oscar Ledesma

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Rufasta and the surname or paternal family name is Ledesma.

Oscar Benito Rufasta Ledesma (3 August 1902 – 17 December 1995) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, cabinet secretary and diplomat.

The Honorable Oscar Ledesma
Ambassador of the Philippines to the United States
In office 1964–1966
Appointed by	Diosdado Macapagal
Preceded by	Amelito Mutuc
Succeeded by	Salvador P. Lopez
Senator of the Philippines
In office 30 December 1957 – 30 December 1963
Secretary of Commerce and Industry
In office 1953–1957
Appointed by	Ramon Magsaysay
Preceded by	Cornelio Balmaceda
Succeeded by	Pedro Hernaez
Member of the House of Representatives from Iloilo's 2nd district
In office 9 June 1945 – 30 December 1949
Preceded by	district reestablished
Succeeded by	Pascual Espinosa
In office 10 December 1940 – 30 December 1941
Preceded by	Ruperto Montinola
Succeeded by	district abolished
16th Governor of Iloilo
In office 1941–1942
Preceded by	Tomás Confesor
Succeeded by	Fermin Caram
Personal details
Born	(1902-08-03)3 August 1902 Silay, Negros Occidental, Philippine Islands
Died	17 December 1995(1995-12-17) (aged 93) Quezon City, Philippines
Political party	Nacionalista

Early life and education

Oscar Ledesma was born on 3 August 1902, in Silay, Negros Occidental. He was the son of a landowner and sugar baron. Ledesma received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ateneo de Manila. In 1925 he received his bachelor 's degree in law from the University of the Philippines. In the same year, he was admitted to the Bar.^[1]

Political career

In 1940, Ledesma was appointed mayor of Iloilo City by President Manuel Quezon. In December of that year, Ledesma was elected in a special election to replace Ruperto Montinola, who died in office, as representative of the 2nd district of Iloilo in the National Assembly. He was reelected in 1941 but was not sworn in until 1945 due to the Japanese occupation of the country during the Second World War. During that period, he joined the guerrilla movement. Upon the resumption of Congress after Liberation in 1945, he was reelected in 1946 and served in office until 1949.^[2]

In 1953 he joined the cabinet of President Ramon Magsaysay as his Secretary of Commerce and Industry. After Magsaysay's death in office in 1957 he resigned from the cabinet and successfully ran for the Senate as a Nacionalista candidate, serving until 1963.^[3] In 1964, he was appointed by President Diosdado Macapagal as ambassador to the United States, serving until 1966. During his tenure, he was able to obtain a favorable quota for sugar exports to the US. In 1971, he was elected to the Constitutional Convention representing Iloilo.^[1]

Personal life and death

Ledesma was married to Juanita Javellana. He died in his house in Quezon City after a long illness on 17 December 1995.^[1]