Media

Press Release  1 August 2023 India’s rice export ban, Vietnam’s move to halve its exports, typhoons like Egay, and the scuttling of the Ukraine grain deal are “the quadruple whammy” that will hurt the Philippines – the world’s 2nd and 6th biggest rice and wheat importer. “Ito ang...

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐩. 𝐑𝐚𝐥𝐩𝐡 𝐆. 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 The speech was partly a lecture on the Medium Term Development Plan. For those expecting SONA as theatre, what he delivered instead was a teach-in. He traded oratorical flair for as many facts as he...

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐩. 𝐑𝐚𝐥𝐩𝐡 𝐆. 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 SONA is not just a throwback moment for the year gone by, but a battleplan on how we can fast-forward to what we hope to achieve. It is not a mere replay of the past, but a preview of the future,...

Press Release 20 July 2023 Pay-per-use public infrastructure, such as roads and airports, should be affordable to end users, and must be considered – and even disclosed – from the outset, Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto said today. “Kung magkano babayaran sa toll, pamasahe o paggamit...

Press Release 19 July 2023 Former President Duterte’s warm relations with Beijing can be a direct line that could ease tension in the West Philippine Sea such as a stop to Chinese harassment of Filipinos peacefully fishing in the area, Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto said. In...

Press Release 19 July 2023 Now that their pet Maharlika Investment Fund is a law, economic managers should prove their critics wrong, and deliver the earnings they confidently promised during the congressional debates on the measure, Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto said today. “The...

Press Statement of Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph G. Recto June 29, 2023 For tourists, the Philippines’ major draw are sun, sights, sea and shopping.  A slogan by itself is not a powerful lure that will prompt a traveler to pack up and go, unless it fully captures our...

Press Release 26 May 2023 The House-approved bill allowing persons with disabilities (PWDs) to vote early during elections is “the assistive device” that removes an “institutional barrier” that prevents PWDs from exercising their right to vote, Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto said....

Mr. Chairman, my dear colleagues: If a rice farmer will plant a hectare by his lonesome, it is said that he has to bend forward 200,000 times to punch palay seedlings into the soil. But first, he must plow the land, slogging 40 kilometers, kasing haba ng marathon, in knee-deep...

Presentation of Senate Minority Leader Ralph G. Recto SMC’s Agenda 2017: Building Better Futures Makati Diamond Residences, 27 January 2017 Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat. It is my honor to be with the people who produce 4 percent of the GDP, and with Ramon who accounts...

Sponsorship Speech Free Higher Education For All Act Senate Minority Leader Ralph G. Recto 24 January 2017   Mr. President, dear colleagues, magandang hapon po. The House had passed the proposed amendments to the New Bangko Sentral Act. Buried in its fine print is the...

When the Senate first convened in a rented house near Malacañang 100 years ago, its 24 members were summoned by telegram or by post which took days to arrive. Communication was so bad that a Navy boat had to be dispatched from Zamboanga to inform and fetch Senator Buto from Jolo....

We are pleased to note that the General Appropriations Bill for 2017, which the Bicameral Conference Committee has approved for ratification by both chambers, carry the amendments initiated by the Senate minority leader. Foremost is the P8 billion Free College Tuition Fund that...

Mr. President, my dear colleagues: The nominee is the perfect specimen which proves how true the saying “the present generation is always better than the previous one” is. He is more handsome than his father, brighter than his mom, and more generous than the two combined. He...

“WHAT USE IS THE BUDGET IF NOT SPENT ON TIME, IN FULL, AND FOR THE RIGHT PROJECTS?” Explanation of Vote on the 2017 National Budget Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto Mr. President, friends, dear colleagues: In the opening remarks of my interpellation of this budget,...

Thank you, Mr. President, thank you, Madame Chairperson. Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat. The Chairperson is a well-known advocate of local weaves and indigenous textiles; and if I may liken this budget to the elegant ethnic dresses she likes to wear, then I can say that,...