Media

Relief for taxpayers and relief from dirty air. This was the gist of the twin legislative initiatives launched this week by Sen. Ralph G. Recto, hoping that the two proposed measures would get enough numbers to pass before election break sets in. Recto’s Senate Bill (SB) 2856 or...

No bill is chiseled in stone. Hindi ito lapida na nakaukit sa bato. Because no bill is perfect, it is polished through debate and discourse, without which the faults and the flaws will never be straightened out. So it was in this spirit that I engaged the sponsor in an exchange...

Support of Regional Dev’t Councils snowballs Sen. Ralph G. Recto today reiterated his proposal to raise the tax exemption ceiling on Christmas bonuses and 13th month pay to P60,000 from the current threshold of P30,000 to give more spending power to employees celebrating the...

Specific allocations from sin tax revenues pressed Sen. Ralph. G. Recto today said a part of the total revenues and not mere “increments” from the sin tax reform package should go directly to intended beneficiaries and programs and should not be a “blank check” for disposal of...

If only you had listened. This was the reaction of Sen. Ralph G. Recto to the reported plan of government to subsidize the operations of privately-run toll roads, including toll fees, to ensure the profitability of the investing firms and soften the impact on motorists. Recto on...

Sen. Ralph G. Recto today expressed dismay over the failure of the Department of Energy (DOE) to detect and stop state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) from overcharging power consumers. “Who’s minding the store at the DOE? I’m sure they knew about...

I base my decision on facts presented in this court, and not on opinions aired outside of it; on testimonies of witnesses, and not on theories of wags; on the arguments of lawyers, and not on the analysis of their spokesmen; on submitted evidence, and not on anonymous leaks; and...

‘Neutral’ investments in agriculture The country doesn’t live from rice alone. Sen. Ralph G. Recto today said government should roll out an expanded and holistic approach in attaining food security in the country, which should cover sufficiency targets in all sectors of...