Francis Epes

Francis Joseph "Chiz" Guevara Escudero (Tagalog pronunciation: [ɛskʊˈdero], born October 10, 1969) is a Filipino politician and lawyer who has served as a senator of the Philippines since 2022 and previously from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Nationalist People's Coalition, he served as the 31st president of the Senate of the Philippines from 2024 to 2025. He unsuccessfully ran for vice president of the Philippines in the 2016 elections as the running mate of Grace Poe. Born to a political family based in Sorsogon, Escudero was educated at the University of the Philippines. He entered politics in 1998 after being elected as the representative for Sorsogon's first district, a seat he would hold until 2007. During his tenure, he served as the spokesperson for the unsuccessful 2004 presidential campaign of Fernando Poe Jr. In the aftermath of the ensuing Hello Garci scandal, he supported the efforts to impeach President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Escudero was elected to the Senate in the 2007 election. As a senator, he was cited as a possible presidential candidate in the 2010 election. After declining a run for higher office, he endorsed the split-ticket "NoyBi" tandem, which would win the election. In 2016, he ran for vice president and lost to Leni Robredo. He was reelected to the Senate in the 2013 election, leaving office in 2019. He then served as the 23rd governor of Sorsogon from 2019 to 2022. Escudero returned to the upper chamber after being elected in the 2022 election. In 2024, he was elected to the Senate presidency after a successful effort to oust his predecessor Juan Miguel Zubiri from the office. His leadership of the Senate was marked by his handling of the impeachment of Sara Duterte, which received a mixed reception. In September 2025, he was ousted as president of the Senate of the Philippines, and replaced by Senator Tito Sotto, amid corruption allegations surrounding government flood control projects. Escudero denied Bernardo's allegations, calling them "malicious allegations and innuendos" and saying that Bernardo had admitted he had no direct contact with him regarding the alleged transactions. In April 2026, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said that his office was preparing possible plunder charges against Escudero and former House speaker Martin Romualdez in connection with the flood control scandal. Escudero and Romualdez denied involvement in anomalous flood control projects. In May 2026, Senator Panfilo Lacson sought a preliminary investigation of Escudero, Romualdez and other officials in relation to the flood control probe.