# Francis Tolentino

Francis Ng Tolentino (Tagalog pronunciation:, born January 2, 1960) is a Filipino politician and lawyer. He has served as a Senator since 2019.
He is known for Senate Bill No. 2492 or the Philippine Maritime Zones Act concerning the South China Sea dispute. This law was objected by China, deeming it "illegal" in terms of international jurisdiction and against China's sovereignty in the South China Sea.

## Education

Tolentino had his primary education in Lourdes School of Mandaluyong. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Bachelor of Laws degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Ateneo de Manila University Law School. He is a member of the Aquila Legis, a fraternity exclusively based at the Ateneo de Manila School of Law.
Tolentino obtained three Master of Laws degrees, one from the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor (USA) where he concentrated on constitutional law, and another from the University of London in England specializing in public international law where he graduated Second Honors (with merit) with Her Royal Highness Princess Anne giving him the award. He obtained his third (3rd) Master of Laws degree (LLM) from the Ivy League Columbia Law School (New York City), where he displayed "superior academic achievement".
He passed the New York State Bar Exams as well as the Philippine Bar Exams in 1984 where he obtained a general average of 86.25%.
He graduated Master on National Security Administration at the National Defense College of the Philippines where he ranked 6th out of 55 graduates.

## Political career
### Mayor of Tagaytay City

Tolentino was first appointed to the post of OIC Mayor of Tagaytay from 1986 to 1987. He ran unopposed in the 1995 general election for Mayor of Tagaytay and was re-elected by his constituents for 3 consecutive terms as Mayor from 1995 to 2004. As Mayor, he advocated a City Character Program, espousing values formation among his constituents.
Under his administration, he created the Tagaytay Office of Public Safety, which later became the basis of policies he put into force as chair of the MMDA. He also initialized the Character First programs which encourages governments, government leaders, civic organizations and religious organizations to band together to establish a "city" or "community" of character with character traits of a Filipino every month.

### Chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority

On July 27, 2010, Tolentino was appointed the ninth chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). He is the first and only non-resident of Metro Manila to be appointed to the post.
In August 2013, Tolentino, as MMDA chairman, launched the first Metro Manila Integrated Bus Terminal known as the Southwest Integrated Provincial Transport Terminal (SWIPTT).
On September 19, 2013, Tolentino signed the Metro Manila Outdoor Media Magna Carta along with various advertising groups, setting the terms for regulating outdoor advertisements in Metro Manila. Among the terms in the 15-page agreement were a 216-square-meter (2,330 sq ft) limitation on all outdoor signs and structures, with 30 percent of the space of ground level ads allotted "for landscape works or vertical gardens". Prior to the signing of the document, no limit had been placed on the size of advertisements, such that a number of billboards as big as 1,000 square meters (11,000 sq ft) had been allowed. The document provided a nine-month grace period for advertisers to be able to comply.
To address the traffic situation in Metro Manila and to offer transportation alternative to the public, Tolentino relaunched the Pasig River Ferry System in April 2014, in coordination with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission and the Department of Transportation and Communications.
As chair of the MMDA, Tolentino was designated by Metro Manila Commission Executive Order No. 86-09 as chair of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival, in which capacity Tolentino introduced a number of changes, including the introduction of new contest categories and the removal of box office receipts from the criteria for the selection of best picture starting from the 2010 edition.
In July 2020, the Court of Appeals's Justice Pablito A. Perez, Twelfth Division denied the defamation complaint filed by Tolentino against Ted Failon. The 2017 case stemmed from Failon's commentary of possible misuse of public funds when the MMDA, then headed by Tolentino, purchased second-handmotorcycles. The appellate court ordered the Cavite Regional Trial Court, Branch 18 to dismiss the criminal proceedings.

### Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs

In June 2017, Tolentino was appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte as his political adviser from 2017 to 2018. He became the former President's main troubleshooter during crises, disasters, and emergencies.

### Senator

Tolentino ran for senator in the 2016 Philippine Senate election and lost, coming in 13th.
Tolentino ran again for senator in the 2019 Philippine Senate election. Endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte, he ran under the Hugpong ng Pagbabago and the informal Kilusang Pagbabago coalitions. Tolentino successfully secured the 9th place in the 2019 elections and is serving as a Senator of the Philippines until 2025.

#### 18th Congress

During the 18th Congress, Tolentino chaired the Senate Committee on Local Government and the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing, and Resettlement.
During his stint as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government, Tolentino was a welcomed partner by the Bangsamoros in the transition of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

#### 19th Congress

Tolentino formerly served as the Chairman of the prestigious Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights. He stepped down as Chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee in March 2024 because of his “deep-seated belief that public office demands fidelity to pledges made” He currently sits as the Senate Representative to the Judicial and Bar Council and is also one of the Senate Representatives in the Commission on Appointments. He is the Senate Majority Floor Leader.
He is currently the Vice-Chairman in the following Senate Committees: Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, Foreign Relations, National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, and Public Services.
Tolentino also sits as a member in the following Senate Committees: Basic Education, Cooperatives, Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs, Electoral Reforms and People's Participation, Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Finance, Games and Amusement, Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, Local Government, Migrant Workers, Public Works, Sports, Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement, and Ways and Means.
On August 5, 2024, Tolentino left the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino party over differences over the South China Sea dispute, disagreeing with the party's preference for bilateral dialogue with China, which he views as being not fully aligned with a 2016 arbitral ruling.
Due to his views regarding the South China Sea dispute, he sponsored the unanimously approved Senate Bill No. 2492 or the Philippine Maritime Zones Act in March 2024. The senator further stated, "As an independent nation, China cannot veto our Maritime Zones Law". As a response, China summons the Philippine ambassador to express their objection. China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that Tolentino's Maritime Zones Act "illegally includes most of China's Huangyan Island and Nansha Islands and related maritime areas in the Philippines' maritime zones".
Being informed that China summoned the Philippine ambassador, Tolentino suggested that the Philippines can also summon Chinese envoy. He said: "We should not be pressured and bullied into a corner. The mere fact that they are reacting and behaving in that manner is a clear indication that our position is right, based on the might of international law."

## Personal life

Tolentino was born in Albay, and grew up in Tagaytay, where he lives. He is the first son of Atty. Isaac O. Tolentino, who was the longest-serving mayor of Tagaytay City.
He is currently the president of the Samahan ng Kickboxing ng Pilipinas, the national governing body for kickboxing in the Philippines.
Tolentino has three children. His son, Michael Francis, has served as a councilor in Tagaytay since 2019.

## Filmography

* Because I Love You (2019) as himself