Isidro Lapena, the newly-appointed Customs commissioner, “has no time be an OJT and should hit the ground running after a P1.28 billion daily collection goal” that is vital to government operations. This was pointed out by Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, who said that

I expect that the review of the events on that fateful night in Caloocan which led to the death of a young man will be pursued in many fronts. Kian’s life was ended so dastardly that it has united the nation in anger and grief. This national pain can only be salved by the

The next permanent head of the Department of Social Welfare and Development must be “a quick study” who must not only grip the reins of a big-budgeted agency fast, but also expertly defend before Congress its proposed P137.5 billion budget for 2018. “The budget hearings will

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto is backing President Duterte’s request to Congress to appropriate P422 million “for the development of a centralized portal allowing individuals to make transactions – from filling out forms to payment – online.” The chief executive made

Thank you very much for that kind introduction. I endured four years of college lectures, so you can just imagine how excited I am to finally return the favor, and this time torture you with a winding—and windy—speech only a senator can inflict. Let me assure you that I will keep

The next DSWD secretary should be in the mold of the 10 women who had held that post since 1986. If tradition is to be followed, there’s a high bar to be met in choosing the head of an agency that helps those who have fallen through the cracks of society. Recite their names and

This is the speech Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto that was scheduled to deliver if the confirmation hearings on Secretary Judy Taguiwalo had advanced to CA plenary for voting ‘To Serve the People’ Speech Endorsing the Confirmation of Prof. Judy Taguiwalo as

The national budget will jump to P3.767 trillion in 2018, or by P1 trillion, from its 2016 level of 2.682 trillion, and Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto doubts if agencies have the capacity “to spend their allocations, which essentially are taxes collected from the

Still not enough, Recto says, as he bats for single tally of all OFW aid funds The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) fund to assist OFWs in distress will jump two-and-half times to P1 billion in 2018, while a legal fund, also managed by the DFA, will double to P200 million,

Government’s capacity to “build, build, build” infrastructure will be tested by a review of how fast it is building the roads, classrooms, irrigation, hospitals funded by the current year’s budget, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said. Recto said the Senate review of the