Francis N Tolentino (; is a Filipino politician and lawyer serving as a Senator since

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

. He served as Chairman of the

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA; fil, Pangasiwaan sa Pagpapaunlad ng Kalakhang Maynila) is a government agency of the Philippines responsible for constituting the regional government of Metro Manila, comprising the capital ...

(MMDA) from 2010 to 2015 and was the Mayor of

Tagaytay Tagaytay, officially the City of Tagaytay ( fil, Lungsod ng Tagaytay), is a 2nd class component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,330 people. It is one of the country's most po ...

from 1995 to 2004. For the 19th Congress of the

Republic of the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, he is currently the Chairman of the prestigious

Senate Blue Ribbon Committee The Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations of the Senate of the Philippines, or more popularly known as the Blue Ribbon Committee, is the Senate committee tasked to investigate alleged wrongdoings of the governmen ...

and the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights. He is currently the Senate Representative in the

Judicial and Bar Council The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC; fil, Sangguniang Panghukuman at Pang-abogasya) of the Philippines is a Constitution of the Philippines, constitutionally-created body that recommends appointees for vacancies that may arise in the composition ...

and is also one of the Senate Representatives in the

Commission on Appointments The Commission on Appointments ( fil, Komisyon sa Paghirang, abbreviated as CA) is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by th ...

. During the 18th Congress, Tolentino chaired the Senate Committee on Local Government and the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing, and Resettlement. As a lawyer with multiple degrees, he is a staunch advocate o
prioritizing education
for all and making justice accessible through th
Philippine Legal Justice Center
which he founded. As a Brigadier General of the Philippine Army (Res), he pushes for making the armed forces of the Philippines stronger and formidable. As a lawyer with a masters in international law, he pushes for equal standing for the Philippines in the international community. He is also an advocate of protecting and maintaining the Philippine's territorial integrity throug
legislation passed in the 18th and 19th Congress
Tolentino established th
Philippine Legal Justice Center
(PLJC) in Manila, providing free legal services to indigent litigants especially OFWs, and tribal communities. Early 2022, Tolentino was one of the legislators who pushed for the stoppage of the unregulated online sabong or e-sabong, which caused the destruction of families, loss of lives, and disappearances of sabungeros in the Philippines in 2021 and 2022.

Personal life

Tolentino was born in

Albay Albay,