Francis Tolentino
Francis Tolentino (; born January 3, 1960) is a Filipino politician and lawyer serving as a Senator since 2019. He served as Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) from 2010 to 2015 and was the Mayor of Tagaytay from 1995 to 2004. Early life. He grew up in Tagaytay, where he currently lives, but was born in Albay. Education. He obtained two Master of Laws degrees, one from the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor 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). He likewise graduated Master on National Security Administration at the National Defense College of the Philippines where he ranked 6th out of 55 graduates. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Ateneo de Manila University Law School. He completed his doctor of juridical science studies at Tulane University Law School in New Orleans. 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 also authored several articles on International Law and Constitutional Law. Political career . Mayor of Tagaytay City. Tolentino was first appointed to the post of OIC Mayor of Tagaytay from 1986 to 1987 by former President Corazon Aquino. He ran unopposed in the 1995 general election for Mayor of Tagaytay and served for nine years from 1995 to 2004. 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 as 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 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 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 last April 2014, in coordination with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission and the Department of Transportation and Communications. As an environmentalist, one of his advocacies is environmental protection. His plans include creating alternative energy resources that would be beneficial for both the people and the environment. “ Today, what is the most serious threat to our freedom? It is the threat to our planet Earth and to Mother Nature itself, the threat to our very existence as human beings,” he pronounced in the 116th Anniversary of Philippine Independence in Guam last  June 2014. Another advocacy that he is focusing on is the disaster calamity fund. He understands that Mother Nature is unpredictable and it is better to brace for the worst. As chair of the MMDA, Tolentino was also 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. 2016 Senate campaign. Tolentino was originally  included as a senate candidate in the LP-endorsed Daang Matuwid Koalisyon. However, he got involved in an event that featured a controversial Playgirls performance in Laguna last October 7, 2015. This incident eventually prompted him to resign and led to his independent candidacy. He placed 13th. Senator. Tolentino ran for senator in the 2019 Philippine Senate election. Endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte, he is 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. He expressed support  reinstatement of the death penalty.