Francisco Tatad

Fifth Republic Tatad was elected senator under the Nationalist People's Coalition in 1992 for a three-year term. In June 1994, he joined the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) political party, and by 1995 was reelected senator, this time to a six-year term. During his service in the Senate, he served as Majority Floor Leader from 1996 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2001, and had filed legislation that countered the liberalization policies being implemented by the Fidel V. Ramos administration. In February 1998, Tatad was reported to have expressed openness in running for the vice presidency instead in becoming the running mate of Lito Osmeña, but eventually ran as the running mate of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. During their campaign, Tatad and Santiago criticized the "hasty implementation" of liberalization policies under the Ramos administration. Both Tatad and Santiago respectively lost the presidential election to Senator Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Vice President Joseph Estrada.

By 1999, Senator Tatad had reversed his opposition to President Estrada and was serving as his political ally. On January 16, 2001, during the impeachment trial of President Estrada, Tatad preempted Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr.'s decision to open an envelope of bank documents, alleged to contain incriminating evidence against President Estrada, by introducing a motion for the Senate to vote on it instead, with him joining 10 other senators in voting against it.

Tatad ran again for senator under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino of actor Fernando Poe Jr. in 2004 but lost. In 2007, he resigned from the governing board of the United Opposition as a protest against the party's decision to draft Alan Peter Cayetano, JV Ejercito and Aquilino Pimentel III as its senatorial candidates due to issues of "dynasty-building", as the three had relatives already serving in the Senate. In 2010, he ran again for senator but lost, finishing only in the 27th place.

During the hearing on the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona on January 19, 2012, Tatad had a verbal confrontation with Senator-Judge Franklin Drilon, accusing him of acting like a part of the prosecution team. Drilon allegedly challenged him to disqualify him from participating in the proceedings.

Political views As a lay member of the Catholic prelature Opus Dei, Tatad has held conservative views on several issues. In 1994, Tatad claimed that the local release of the film Schindler's List without censorship of explicit scenes "would open the floodgates of indecency, obscenity, pornography and gross immorality."

Personal life Tatad married Fernandita "Fenny" Cantero at the Santuario de San Jose in Mandaluyong, Rizal on August 20, 1970. President Marcos and his wife Imelda served as principal sponsors, with the reception held at the InterContinental Hotel in Makati.

However, in spite of his marriage, rumors persisted regarding Tatad's potential romantic relationship with Maharlika Broadcasting news anchor Rita Gadi during martial law.