Salvador "Sonny" Hatoc Escudero III (December 18, 1942 â August 13, 2012) was a Filipino politician. He was Minister of Food and Agriculture from 1984 to 1986; and Secretary of Agriculture from 1996 to 1998. He was a Member of the House of Representatives from 1987 to 1998; and from 2007 up until his death in 2012.
An education advocate, Escudero is credited as the author of the laws that established the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). He is the father of Senate President Francis Escudero.
Born Salvador Hatoc Escudero III on December 18, 1942 in Casiguran, Sorsogon. Sonny was the third-generation politician of the Escudero clan. His father, Antonio F. Escudero served as mayor of Casiguran and provincial board member. His grandfather, Salvador C. Escudero Sr., was a former councilor, mayor, provincial board member, and Governor of Sorsogon and was the son of a Spaniard, Don Manuel Escudero y Borrás from Santander, Spain.
He was married to educator Evelina B. Guevara and had three children with her. His son, Francis "Chiz" Escudero, is a lawyer and politician who is the current president of the Senate since 2024, having been a senator since 2022 and previously from 2007 to 2019. Chiz has also served as representative of Sorsogon's 1st district and governor of Sorsogon. His daughter, Dette Escudero, is also a politician, serving as the deputy majority leader of the House of Representatives since 2025 and the incumbent representative of Sorsogon's 1st district since 2022.
Actor Martin Escudero is his grandson.
Escudero died of colon cancer in 2012. He was 69 years old.