By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
In a briefing on Monday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced the appointment of former Senator Francis Tolentino as the new Acting Labor Secretary.
Tolentino will be taking the reins from former Labor chief Bienvenido Laguesma, who chose to step down from his position due to an underlying medical condition.
As the new Acting Labor Secretary, he will be in charge of looking after the domestic labor workforce and ensuring that the government initiatives geared towards the working class remain effective, relevant, and efficient.
Tolentino is a seasoned lawyer and politician with nearly four decades of experience in handling major positions within the local and national government.
His career began as an officer in charge (OIC) of the provisional government from 1986-1987, followed by three consecutive terms as the mayor of Tagaytay City from 1994-2004.
He was also appointed by the late former President Benigno Aquino III as the 6th MMDA Chairperson from 2010-2015, with a brief stint as the Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs during the previous administration.
Tolentino also chaired various committees during his tenure as a Senator in the 18th and 19th Congress from 2019-2025.
In that period, he served as the Chairperson of the Senate Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement Committee and the Senate Local Government Committee from 2019-2022.
He also chaired the Senate Justice and Human Rights Committee from 2022-2024, and led the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee from 2022-2023. He was also the Senate Majority Leader from 2024-2025.
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