Zosimo Jesus "Jess" Paredes II (born May 27, 1948) is a Filipino former politician.
[1] Paredes was elected Assemblyman of Regular Batasang Pambansa representing Ifugao from 1984 until its dissolution in 1986.
He has twice ran for the Senate namely, the 1987 Senatorial elections under the Grand Alliance for Democracy, the same party of Joseph Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile, but placed 46th and more recently the 2007 Senatorial elections under the Ang Kapatiran Party but placed 29th.
He was the former head of Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFACom) later on resigned at the height of the Philippine government's perceived protection of convicted American rapist Lance Corp. Daniel Smith after the latter's transfer of detention from the Makati City Jail to the United States Embassy in Manila.
In 2011, he was appointed as spokesperson of the Department of National Defense, assuming office on October 5.