Arturo Tolentino

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Tombstone of Arturo Tolentino in the Libingan ng mga Bayani National Cemetery in Manila

Arturo Modesto Tolentino (born September 19, 1910 in Manila ; † August 2, 2004 ibid) was a Filipino politician .

biography

Studies and professional career

After graduating from Manila East High School , he studied law at the College of Law at the University of the Philippines (UP) from 1928 to 1928, completing it cum laude and the subsequent admission to the bar . During his time as a student he was also editor-in-chief of the student newspaper "The Philippine Collegian". He then worked as a lawyer and also studied philosophy at the UP, graduating cum laude in 1938 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA Philosophy). He then completed postgraduate studies in law at the University of Santo Tomas , where he obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) and a doctorate in civil law (DCL) with distinctions.

He later became Professor of Law at the University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomás, University of the East , University of Manila , Arellano University , Far Eastern University , Manila Law College, Philippine Law School, San Beda College and Quezon College.

MP and Senator

Tolentino began his political career as a candidate for the Nacionalista Party (NP) in 1949 when he was elected Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines ( Kapulungán ng mgá Kinatawán ng Pilipinas or Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso ) and represented the interests of constituency III (3rd District ) from Manila .

He then became a member of the 1957 Senate ( Senado ng Pilipinas selected), which he and the imposition of martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos belonged in 1,972th

As the leading politician of the NP, he was considered a promising candidate for his party in the 1965 presidential election, but had to give up this intention after the popular Senate President Marcos left the Liberal Party because of differences of opinion and joined the NP and became its presidential candidate. Then Tolentino was for a short time as Majority Floor Leader leader of the majority faction in the Senate, before he succeeded as President of the Senate between 1965 and 1966 after the election of Marcos as President. Tolentino was a recognized expert on the constitutional issues of the Philippines and put forward some 2,000 bills during his parliamentary career .

After serving as a member of the Metro Manila Assembly ( National Capital Region ) from 1978 to 1984, he was a member of the National Assembly ( Batamsang Pambansa ) from 1984 to 1986 .

Foreign Minister and Vice President

At the same time he was foreign minister in the Marcos government between 1984 and 1985 and, as such, head of a delegation to the United Nations in New York City at a conference on the law of the sea . At this conference he advocated the introduction of an archipelago doctrine that would have favored the Philippines and other island states. After the archipelago waters were accepted , the Philippines joined the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1984 .

In the February 1986 presidential elections, he was a runner-up candidate for Marcos. The proclamation of Marcos and Tolentino as electoral winners and their swearing in on February 16, 1986 triggered the EDSA revolution , named after the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA for short), against the government on February 25, 1986 , which ultimately led to the Escape of the Marcos family to Hawaii and election of President Corazon Aquino .

In July 1986, Tolentino was proclaimed incumbent president by a few hundred supporters of Marcos and also received support from soldiers of the army (Armed Forces of the Philippines, AFP) who had barricaded themselves in the "Manila Hotel" to build a rebel government. However, when the expected broad support failed to materialize, Tolentino and his supporters accepted defeat.

In 1992 he was elected Senator again and was a member of the Senate until 1995.

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