About Zosimo “Jess” Paredes

Former Executive Director of the Presidential Commission on the VFA
Professional Soldier, Lawyer, Civil Servant, Teacher

• Military officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for 17 years
o Graduate, Philippine Military Academy (Class of 1971)
o Officer, Philippine Constabulary, 1971–1984 (Assistant Provincial Commander & Legal Counsel, La Union Philippine Constabulary Provincial Command, Commanding Officer, 191st Philippine Constabulary Company, Regional Adjutant, Philippine Constabulary Cordillera Regional Command, Vice Regional Comptroller, Philippine Constabulary Cordillera Regional Command, Commandant of Cadets, Saint Louis University Reserve Officer Training Course (ROTC) – Baguio City, Commanding Officer, Philippine Constabulary 161st Company, Balanga, Bataan, Commanding Officer, 165th Philippine Constabulary Company, Limay, Bataan, Junior Officer, 232nd Philippine Constabulary Company, Gumaca , Quezon)

• Member of the Philippine Bar, since 1982
o Graduate, Baguio Colleges Foundation, College of Law, 1981
o Practicing lawyer, 1986–1999 (Partner, Barcelona, Barcelona, Magdamit, Paredes Law Firm; Senior Partner, Paredes & Perez Law Offices (Baguio City); Paredes Law Office, Quezon City)

• Assemblyman, Batasang Pambansa, 1984–1986
o Vice-Chairman, Committee on Cultural Communities
o Chairman, Sub-Committee on Domestic Trade
o Member, Committee on National Defense, Security, and Peace and Order
o Member, Committee on Tourism
o Member, Committee on Youth and Sports
o Member, Committee on Trade and Industry

• Civil Servant
o Deputy Director-General, Office of Muslim Affairs and Cultural Communities, 1984–1986
o Special Assistant and Legal Counsel, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, 1999–2003
o Deputy Director, Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement, 2003–2004
o Executive Director, Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement, 2004-2007

• Teacher
o Law and Government, Center for Research and Communications (now University of Asia and the Pacific)

• Educational Background
o Graduate courses in economics, School of Economics, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Q.C. (1983-1984)
o Bachelor of Laws (LL.B), College of Law, University of the Cordilleras – formerly Baguio Colleges Foundation (BCF), Baguio City (1977-1981)
o Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Philippine Military Academy, Baguio City (1967-1971)
o Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Q.C. (1965-1967)
o High School, Paco Catholic School, Paco, Manila (1961-1962; 1963-1965
o High School, Divine Word Academy, Tagbilaran, Bohol (1962-1963)
o Elementary, Sta. Ana Elementary School, Sta. Ana, Manila (1955-1961)

• Fellowships
o Fellow of the Asia Foundation (FELTAF); U.S. Legislature in Washington D.C. and California, U.S. (1985); and The Navajo Nation in New Mexico (1985)
o Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship, Public Administration jointly Administered by Tufts University and Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts (1987)
o Fellow of the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, Senior Executive Course on Transnational Threats, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. (2005)