Francis Joseph "Chiz" Guevara Escudero (Tagalog pronunciation: [ɛskʊˈdero], born October 10, 1969) is a Filipino politician and lawyer who has served as the 25th President of the Senate of the Philippines since May 20, 2024.

Born to a family of politicians from Sorsogon, he attended the University of the Philippines from kindergarten through law school.

Prior to entering politics, he worked as a lawyer and lecturer and earned his Master of Laws degree from Georgetown University in the United States.

Francis Joseph Guevara Escudero was born on October 10, 1969, in Manila, Philippines, the second of the three children of the late Salvador "Sonny" Escudero III, who was then the director of UP Veterinary Hospital at the time of his birth and later served as the Agriculture Minister, representative of the first district of Sorsogon during the Marcos era, and Sorsogon representative until his death in 2012.

[8] Prior to becoming a lawyer, Escudero was a teaching assistant at the Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines (1988–1989).

Escudero was a member of the Nationalist People's Coalition, the second biggest political party[12] in the Philippines that time, from 1998 to 2009.

The law was ratified during a plebiscite on December 16, 2000, and Sorsogon functioned as a city on June 30, 2001, with the assumption into office of its first officials.

Poe eventually lost to the incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in a highly contested electoral exercise.

[16][17] When evidence of alleged electoral fraud surfaced, Escudero was among the lawmakers who moved for the impeachment[18] of then President Arroyo.

[22] Despite another round of defeat, Escudero said the results "will not change the fact that there was cheating, lying, anomalies and stealing in government.

"[23] Escudero belonged to the anti-charter change bloc who voted against the constitutional reform initiatives of then-House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.[8] He believed these attempts to change the Constitution are nothing but last ditch efforts to keep the president and his allies in power.

[27] In the 14th Congress of the Philippines, Escudero chaired the Senate Committees on Justice and Human Rights; Ways and Means; and National Defense.

Instead, he endorsed the team-up of Senator Benigno Aquino III and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, which became dubbed as "NoyBi".

[32][33] Prior to the official campaign period, Escudero, Legarda, and Grace Poe were expected to run as common candidates of both the administration and opposition slates.

[41][42] In his letter to Senate President Franklin Drilon, Escudero wrote, "However, given my public pronouncements regarding a possible candidacy for higher office in 2016, I believe that it behooves me to step down at this juncture to ensure that deliberations on the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) – considered the single most important piece of legislation passed by Congress each year – are untainted by suspicions or perceptions of partisan politics.

"[43] Long rumored as the possible running mate of leading presidential candidate Grace Poe, Escudero officially announced his candidacy for Vice President of the Philippines on September 15, 2015, at the historic Club Filipino.

"[46] Presidential frontrunner and Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte called the combination of Poe and Escudero as an "excellent" tandem because of his political experience and her ability to provide ascendancy.

[47] A day after his declaration, the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) administered the oath-taking of 200 officials from Batangas, Laguna, and Quezon as members in part because of support for the Poe-Escudero ticket.

[51][52] Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board member Florencio Noel revealed, at least eight party-list groups have also expressed support for Poe and Escudero.

Escudero continued to drop in April, maintaining third place behind Marcos and Congresswoman Leni Robredo.

[56] In the run up to the 2022 Philippine general election, Escudero was endorsed by the outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte and campaigned for the empowerment of local government units.

[62] In response to water cannon attacks by Chinese vessels against Philippine vessels,[63] Escudero proposed the usage of at least 100 million pesos for the construction of permanent structures housing soldiers and fishermen on Second Thomas Shoal, in the South China Sea.

[64] Escudero spoke out against the statement issued by Senator Francis Tolentino, the Vice chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, to recall the Philippine Ambassador to China, Jaime FlorCruz, in response to water cannon attacks by Chinese vessels, arguing that such action would escalate the South China Sea conflict.

Escudero highlighted the struggles he faced as Governor of Sorsogon surrounding the distribution of aid in response to calamities which was impeded by existing bureaucracy and red-tape.

[4][70] In 2012, the senator began dating local actress and TV talk show host Heart Evangelista.