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Because it is a payroll tax, the power to approve the rate of a Social Security System member’s monthly contribution should remain with the President, Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto insisted today. “When it comes to any mandatory deduction from a workingman’s income, the buck...

Philippine National Police chief Ronald de la Rosa should crack down hard on rogue policemen who use the PNP’s anti-drug campaign as a smokescreen to extort money and commit crimes against civilians. The call was made by Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto who urged the PNP...

Passing a law extending the validity period of a Philippine passport from 5 to 10 years is “one low-hanging fruit” Congress can pick, a move that will immediately benefit millions of Filipino travelers and migrant workers, Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said today. And if...

We should know by now that such theatrical bombast is part of the President’s oratorical repertoire. His bluster should be likened to a dog that always barks but seldom bites. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship launch at...

The Senate has included a provision in the 2017 national budget cancelling the need for patients seeking treatment in hospitals to present a PhilHealth card as a condition to avail of benefits from the state health insurer. Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said the scrapping of...

The Philippines would be better off pivoting to an independent foreign policy position than siding with any of the big powers. “Our motto should be : ‘Friend to all, but subservient to none.’ In other words, amity to all, hostility to no one,” Recto said. Recto said foreign...

The Senate had added P1 billion to the children’s feeding budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, raising the amount to P4.427 billion, to enable the agency to serve one hot meal daily to 1.74 million 2 to 4 year olds for 120 days next year. Although he was...

The senator who sponsored the free public college tuition clause in the 2017 national budget today assuaged fears of “unenlightened bureaucrats” that it will may be hard to spend the P8 billion allocation to cover basic matriculation of close to 1 million students of state...