Media

Press Statement of Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph G. Recto May 22, 2023 Government should rebuild the National Post Office Building. Fast, and not in slow mail fashion. So when they come knocking on the doors of Malacanang for help, the postmen must not ring twice. Pwede...

Press Statement of Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph G. Recto May 15, 2023 Malampaya gas is a bulwark of our energy security. It fuels  base-load power plants in my home province of Batangas. At one point, it provided 40% of the energy needs of the almost 57 million people...

Press Statement of Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph G. Recto May 13, 2023 The President has the power to hire and fire. A Cabinet member is just the highest paid casual employee in his department. As such, pwede ma-endo anytime. Walang forever. In this country, a Cabinet...

Press Release 12 May 2023 The recently passed House bill effectively regionalizing heart, lung, kidney and 13 other specialty centers will help “medical evacuees” who flee to big cities for treatment and medical scholars whose studies are funded by the government in order to plug...

Just the second day of the week and the People’s House has already passed on Final Reading nine (9) bills, including the National Network of Specialty Centers in Government Hospitals; Early Voting for PWDs, Seniors and Health Workers; Ban on No Permit, No Exam in Elementary...

Press Statement of Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph G. Recto May 8, 2023 The trip of the President to the US was an unqualified success.  It helped that he had as wingmen Ambassador Babes Romualdez, a reliable DC hand who can speed-dial those who move the levers of power,...

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝟕 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto has appealed to his former colleagues in the “smaller House” to pass the bill extending the estate tax amnesty period for two years. A senator for 18 years, Recto believes his “former classmates can pass what is a simple bill”...

Press Statement of Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph G. Recto May 3, 2023 The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) management said it would need P1 billion for a new electrical system.  Even if this light bulb moment had come too late, after the airport had been hit...

Sponsorship Speech by Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph G. Recto SB 1365: Extending the Validity of the Philippine Passport This bill is pretty straightforward: It extends the period of validity of the Philippine passport from five to ten years. But once it becomes a law, its...

Mr. Chairman, my dear colleagues: My nominee was my teacher at the UP College of Public Administration many moons ago. Whenever we meet, I never fail to call her “my favorite teacher,” to which she replies, and always in a loud voice for everyone to hear, that I was her favorite...

‘No Other Treaty Is More Important Than The One For Mankind’s Survival’ Explanation of Vote on the Resolution Concurring in the Ratification of the Paris Climate Treaty, by Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph G. Recto Mr. President, my dear colleagues: First, allow me to thank and...

One item in the government employee payslip turns 26 this year. In June 1991, pursuant to that year’s General Appropriations Act, a Personnel Economic Relief Allowance in the amount of P500 a month was granted to all government employees. Two years later, an “Additional...

Explanation of Vote of Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph G. Recto On SB No. 1304 – Affordable Higher Education for All Act 13 March 2017 Mr. President, my dear colleagues: The costs this bill would entail are not unrecoverable expenses. They are investments with high...

It is my pleasure to finally vote on a bill which I first filed in May 2014. Although the Free National Wi-Fi Project is now in full swing by virtue of another legislative route—through three General Appropriations Acts, including this year’s—still the best way to guarantee its...

Mr. President, my dear colleagues: A wag once said that if men were to get pregnant, “maternity leave would last for two years with full pay, and morning sickness would rank as the nation’s number one health problem.” Hopefully, the passage of this bill won’t lead to the mass...

Mr. President, my dear colleagues, magandang hapon po. The bill is pretty straightforward, so instead of reiterating its provisions, may I just describe the social context, the government culture, and the business atmosphere which makes its passage urgent. Red tape is an...