Артуро Толентино: Филиппин саяхаты мен құқық ғалымының өмірі мен қызметі

President of the Senate of the Philippines from 1966 to 1967

Arturo "Ka Turing" Modesto Tolentino (September 19, 1910 – August 2, 2004) was a Filipino politician and diplomat who served as the Senate president and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. He ran as the vice presidential running mate of Ferdinand Marcos for the 1986 Philippine snap election. He is considered the foremost expert on Civil Law, as he took part in creating the Civil Code of the Philippines as a young esteemed congressman from June 1949 to August 1950. In addition he authored the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in 1960. His book or volumes of his commentaries have become standard reading for lawyers. He is also regarded as one of the Filipinos who are highly qualified publicists in International Law, being given the title as the father of the Philippine as well as international "archipelagic doctrine" for inserting the provisions into the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS, particularly the rule on 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zones for archipelagos represented in the United Nations.

Arturo Modesto Tolentino was born in Manila of humble parentage. As a student, Tolentino was noted for his scholarship. He was valedictorian of Mabini Elementary School and the Manila East High School (now Victorino Mapa High School; 1928). He topped the entrance exam at UP Manila, then obtained the degree of Associate in Arts as well as the Bachelor of Philosophy (cum laude) with a gold medal award as valedictorian at UP in 1938, and was valedictorian (cum laude) of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law (1934) and a bar topnotcher (1934). He later continued his studies and received the degrees of Master of Law (meritissimus) and Doctor of Civil Law (meritissimus) from the University of Santo Tomás. He was also a short story writer for the Philippines Free Press, and was an undefeated wrestler and bodybuilder. As a debater and orator, he won seven gold medals (including the Quezon Medal) and two silver loving cups. He held the title of “Inter Collegiate Oratorical Champion of the Philippines” in 1934. He successfully debated with American students from the University of Oregon in 1933 and from the University of Washington in 1934. In 1934, Tolentino also was the consort to the Miss Manila winner at the Manila Carnival. In UP, he was editor in chief of the Philippine Collegian and a fellow of the Upsilon Sigma Phi. Tolentino engaged in the practice of law after passing the bar in 1934, and was a recognized legal luminary. He was a law professor in 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. A known Civil Law expert in his lifetime.

Tolentino was already a noted civilist scholar and trial lawyer when he was handpicked in 1948 by President Manuel Roxas to be the youngest member of the Code Committee that would draft the first and only Civil Code of the Philippines, which was completed in late 1949 and took effect in 1950. The duties and responsibilities of majority floor leader and the reason for Tolentino's selection was explained in an article by Manuel Martinez in Tempo October 7, 1983. In legislation, the majority floor leader, not the Speaker or the presiding officer, is the key man around whom the parliamentary process revolves. He is the lightning rod, the clearing house, the yeoman and work horse and spark plug, the whipping boy if he does not watch out, the beast of burden, and center of attention. Only the tough are chosen as floor leaders. The disputed outcome would eventually lead to the People Power Revolution which ousted Marcos and installed Aquino as a revolutionary president. In 2013, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in its Resolution No. 2, series of 2013, officially stated that Tolentino was not elected as Vice President, consequently excluding him from the official roster of Vice Presidents of the Philippines.

Tolentino then launched a coup on July 6, 1986, declaring that since Marcos was in exile, he was constitutionally the acting president of the Philippines. Marcos allies and about 100 soldiers marched to the luxurious Manila Hotel, barricading it with trucks. He was expecting massive support, but only several thousands of Marcos loyalists supported his cause. On July 8, he agreed to disperse his thousands of civilian supporters and about a hundred military backers, ending the failed coup attempt. When the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines was overwhelmingly approved in a plebiscite, Tolentino announced he would respect the will of the people.

In 1992, Tolentino successfully ran for the Senate, placing 18th under the Nationalist People's Coalition. However, his bid for re election in 1995 was not successful, and he retired from politics. During this time he still made a lot of important petitions and took part in notable landmark cases including Tolentino v. Sec. of Finance.

Tolentino died of a heart attack on the night of August 2, 2004, at the age of 93. He is buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Tolentino was once the foremost expert in civil law and persons throughout the 1960s to 1980s. The civil law volumes mainly used in the UP College of Law and other law universities are still the Commentaries and Jurisprudence on the Civil Code of the Philippines volumes by Tolentino, a series of volumes published beginning circa 1960. Sampaloc, Manila has a sports center named after the late senator and has a public monument of Tolentino along Instruccion Street.

Tolentino's first wife died in the war. He then married Pilar Adorable, but annulled due to differences in parenting, as Tolentino was frequently at work though maintained strong relations until their passing. He later married Constancia Conde. Miriam Defensor Santiago considered Tolentino her chief hero and mentor in the legal field and the Senate. He had seven children, as acknowledged in his last will and testament (1971): Arturo Jr., Evelyn and Annabella with Consuelo David; Bernadette, Salvador and Victorio with Constancia Conde; and Ma. Elenita with Rosita Robles.