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Francis Tolentino
Francis Ng Tolentino (Tagalog pronunciation: [nɐŋ tolɛnˈtino], born January 3, 1960) is a Filipino politician and lawyer serving as the acting secretary of labor and employment since 2026. He previously served as a senator of the Philippines from 2019 to 2025; during his term in the Senate, he served as the Senate majority leader from 2024 to 2025 and chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee from 2022 to 2023. Before being elected to the Senate, he served as the chairperson of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) from 2010 to 2015 and mayor of Tagaytay twice: from 1986 to 1987 as an officer in charge (OIC) in the provisional government, and then elected to three consecutive terms from 1995 to 2004.
Tolentino is the principal author of the Senate bill that became the Philippine Maritime Zones Act. This law, which concerns the Philippines' claims in the South China Sea dispute, has been objected by China. As a result, China banned him from entering the country since July 2025.
Francis Tolentino had his primary education in Lourdes School of Mandaluyong. He studied rigorously and 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%.
Francis Tolentino graduated with a Master’s in National Security Administration at the National Defense College of the Philippines where he ranked 6th out of 55 graduates.
Tolentino was first appointed to the post of OIC Mayor of Tagaytay from 1986 to 1987. In 1992, he ran for mayor of Tagaytay under the Lakas–NUCD, but initially lost to Partido Magdalo candidate Benjamin R. Erni. After filing an election protest in June that year, however, Tolentino was later declared the actual winner by the First Division of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on January 28, 1994 after invalid ("stray") ballots were removed, a decision which was later upheld by the COMELEC as a whole on July 25, 1994 and by the Supreme Court in April 1995. Tolentino ran unopposed in the 1995 general election for mayor of Tagaytay and was re-elected by his constituents for three more consecutive terms as mayor from 1995 to 2004. As mayor, he advocated a City Character Program, espousing values formation among his constituents.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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Francis Tolentino
Francis Ng Tolentino (Tagalog pronunciation: [nɐŋ tolɛnˈtino], born January 3, 1960) is a Filipino politician and lawyer serving as the acting secretary of labor and employment since 2026. He previously served as a senator of the Philippines from 2019 to 2025; during his term in the Senate, he served as the Senate majority leader from 2024 to 2025 and chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee from 2022 to 2023. Before being elected to the Senate, he served as the chairperson of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) from 2010 to 2015 and mayor of Tagaytay twice: from 1986 to 1987 as an officer in charge (OIC) in the provisional government, and then elected to three consecutive terms from 1995 to 2004.
Tolentino is the principal author of the Senate bill that became the Philippine Maritime Zones Act. This law, which concerns the Philippines' claims in the South China Sea dispute, has been objected by China. As a result, China banned him from entering the country since July 2025.
Francis Tolentino had his primary education in Lourdes School of Mandaluyong. He studied rigorously and 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%.
Francis Tolentino graduated with a Master’s in National Security Administration at the National Defense College of the Philippines where he ranked 6th out of 55 graduates.
Tolentino was first appointed to the post of OIC Mayor of Tagaytay from 1986 to 1987. In 1992, he ran for mayor of Tagaytay under the Lakas–NUCD, but initially lost to Partido Magdalo candidate Benjamin R. Erni. After filing an election protest in June that year, however, Tolentino was later declared the actual winner by the First Division of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on January 28, 1994 after invalid ("stray") ballots were removed, a decision which was later upheld by the COMELEC as a whole on July 25, 1994 and by the Supreme Court in April 1995. Tolentino ran unopposed in the 1995 general election for mayor of Tagaytay and was re-elected by his constituents for three more consecutive terms as mayor from 1995 to 2004. As mayor, he advocated a City Character Program, espousing values formation among his constituents.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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