Chiz Escudero

A young legislator becomes an opposition voice

Francis Joseph “Chiz” Escudero trained as a lawyer at the University of the Philippines and completed graduate legal study at Georgetown. He entered the House in 1998, representing the same Sorsogon district previously held by his father.

As House minority leader, he gained national attention through speeches and impeachment efforts directed at President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Communication skill and opposition visibility became the foundation of his 2007 Senate campaign.

Legislation and an independent national campaign

Escudero’s Senate work included tax relief for minimum-wage earners, deposit-insurance expansion, anti-torture and enforced-disappearance laws, and the creation of additional courts. These collective measures connected a reformist public image to committee work.

In 2016 he ran for vice president with Grace Poe, outside the largest administration and opposition tickets. Congress recorded 4,931,962 votes for him, placing him fourth as Leni Robredo narrowly won the office.

Provincial executive service and chamber leadership

After two consecutive Senate terms, Escudero won the governorship of Sorsogon in 2019. The move added direct executive responsibility for a provincial government to a career previously centred on national legislation.

He returned to the Senate in 2022 and was elected Senate president in May 2024, then reelected at the opening of the 20th Congress in July 2025. A reorganised majority replaced him with Vicente Sotto III on 8 September 2025; Escudero accepted the vote, administered Sotto’s oath and continued as a senator.

The two leadership changes demonstrate the fluid coalitions of Philippine legislative politics, where chamber majorities can be reorganised independently of a general election.