Who is Francis Tolentino?

Former senator Francis Tolentino has been named acting secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Tolentino’s most recent government post was in the Senate, where he served from 2019 to 2025. From 2024 to 2025, he held the position of Senate Majority Leader.

As a senator, he also chaired several committees in the upper chamber, including the Blue Ribbon Committee, as well as the committees on justice and human rights; local government; and urban planning, housing, and resettlement.

Before his Senate career, he served as presidential adviser on political affairs under former President Rodrigo Duterte from 2017 to 2018.

Tolentino also previously headed the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) from 2010 to 2015.

At the local level, he served as Tagaytay City mayor for three consecutive terms from 1995 to 2004.

He earned his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and passed the 1984 Bar examinations. He later completed Master of Laws degrees at the University of London and Columbia Law School.

Tolentino ran for another Senate term in the 2025 midterm elections but was unsuccessful.—MCG, GMA News