Ralph G. Recto
LP
Senator Ralph Gonzalez Recto is an ultimate public servant - educated, dedicated, diplomatic, and honest. His devotion to family and community, unrelenting desire to make a better life for others, consummate passion for his work, and interactive leadership style serve as the firm foundation upon which he built a reputation as a young and committed leader whether as a legislator or a national executive.
His independence makes him an exemplary and notable public official, the catalyst that makes us see through our faults in his stinging but profound statements. He can never be boxed into a myopic position to the disdain of his critics. He is not one to shun the rough waters of public opinion when he tackles unpopular measures. He faces them head on, but in ways that disarm the enemy. Whoever initially opposes him is soon converted into an ally.
Family and personal life
Senator Ralph Recto’s political lineage is traced to the late nationalist and statesman Claro Mayo Recto, who was a senator for several terms and himself a descendant of the patriotic Mayo and Recto clans of Luzon. Senator Ralph Recto is the second child of three of lawyer Rafael Recto who was an Assemblyman during the Regular Batasang Pambansa and Carmen Gonzalez Recto whose family hails from Pangasinan.
He is married to Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto of Tarlac and Nueva Ecija, father to Ryan Christian and stepfather to Luis Philippe Manzano.
Education
Senator Recto has two Master’s Degrees – one in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines, Diliman and another in Strategic Business Economics from the University of Asia and the Pacific. He also took up a Leadership Scholarship Course at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America. He acquired a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at the De La Salle University-Manila. His elementary years were spent at the Ateneo de Manila University while his High school diploma was received from the De la Salle University.
In 2009, he was conferred a degree of Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa by the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology.
At the House of Representatives
He holds the distinction of being the youngest elected member of the House of Representatives during the 9th Congress. He also holds an unprecedented record in the congressional election history of Batangas for winning in all precincts, barangays, municipalities, together with Lipa City in the 1995 and 1998 elections. He garnered 98% of the votes cast in those two elections in the 4th District of Batangas.
During his three terms (from 1992 to 2001) as Member of the House of Representatives, his legislative measures enacted into law mostly dealt with economic reforms and poverty alleviation. Among which are the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act; the Philippine Economic Zone Law; Amendment to the Special Economic Zone Law; the Retail Trade Liberalization Law; Regional Headquarters Law and the Comprehensive Tax Reform Law.
At the Philippine Senate
Senator Recto was elected to the Senate in 2001, becoming the youngest Senator of the 12th Congress at the age of 37. In the Senate, he chaired the Committees on Ways and Means and on Trade and Industry.
Senator Recto learned the nuances of lawmaking as one of the youngest legislators in both Houses of Congress. The diligence he puts into each law that he shepherds continues to draw the respect and admiration from peers including those on the other side of the political fence. The august halls of Congress have heard his resonant voice that all these years remained truthful and logical, yet spirited and candid.
Being the youngest Senator of the 12th Congress has not deterred him from ably steering the powerful Ways and Means committee that has been traditionally assigned to senior Senators. He, likewise, led the unmasking of foreign hands subverting the work of the Senate and other government offices.
A deep sense of equity and fairness defined his balanced handling and scrutiny of tax measures. In all cases, he assigned great value on the peoples' needs in the face of contending government and industry concerns. He was also identified with warning calls on ballooning budget deficits, public debt and unemployment, among other crucial issues.
He was co-chairman of the Congressional Oversight Committees on the Proper Implementation of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) and on the Official Development Assistance (ODA). Sensitivity to the welfare of government employees also marked his chairing of the Accounts committee dealing with the Senate budget.
During his six-year term as Senator, he was largely responsible for the passage of laws with positive impact to consumers, small entrepreneurs, workers and industry.
After the elections of 2007, Senator Recto joined the board of the Union Bank of the Philippines as an Independent Director.
At the National Economic and Development Authority
On July 23, 2008, he was named as the Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority.
As NEDA chief, Recto helped craft and monitor the government’s Economic Resiliency Plan (ERP), which served as the Philippines’ pump-priming program. The ERP implementation involved the frontloading of government spending during the first half of 2009 and increased spending for social services and infrastructure. Moreover, he proposed a new economic plan for the next year initially dubbed as REAP (Reloading Economic Acceleration Plan) to protect the gains made from the ERP and prepare the country for the anticipated economic rebound. He also set in place a more institutionalized monitoring of global and local events as they affect the Philippine economy.
Recto advocated various development issues such as a transparent oil pricing scheme to protect consumers as well as a greater transparency in government project implementation. He also backed innovations in the green industry and technology in the Philippines and signed a climate change program with the United Nations and the Spanish Government. In addition, Recto pushed for deeper engagements with China and other growth regions such as the Middle East.
During his term as NEDA Director-General, Recto instituted the adoption of value engineering in infrastructure projects to help cut costs, minimize delays and strengthen the ICC process. He introduced an employment odometer for all government projects/initiatives to estimate the number of jobs that can be created.
Senator Recto also advocated the enhancement of the performance review of the Philippine government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) portfolio to help improve the country’s absorptive capacity, speed up the implementation of development programs and projects, and manage for development results.
On August 16, 2009, he resigned as NEDA Director General and Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning, in preparation for another run for the Senate in the 2010 election.
A New Senate Mandate
In the present 15th Congress, Senator Recto chairs the Committees on Ways and Means and on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises. He also co-chairs the Joint Oversight Committee on the Proper Implementation of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) and the Joint Oversight Committee on the Official Development Assistance (ODA). He is vice chairman of the Committee on Public Services and a member of the Commission on Appointments.
HEARTS which is the acronym for Health, Education, Agriculture, Roads, Tourism and Security is the core of Senator Recto’s legislative agenda and advocacy. He believes that reforms in these sectors would have a meaningful impact on the efforts to alleviate the sorry plight of the Filipino people.
Senator, 15th Congress of the Philippines
ñ Chairman: Committee on Ways and Means
Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises
ñ Co-Chairman: Joint Oversight Committee on the Proper Implementation of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC)
Joint Oversight Committee on the Official Development Assistance (ODA)
ñ Vice-Chairman: Committee on Public Services
ñ Member: Commission on Appointments
Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon Committee)
Committee on Agrarian Reform
Committee on Agriculture and Food
Committee on Energy
Committee on Environment and Natural Resources
Committee on Finance
Committee on Foreign Relations
Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development
Committee on Local Government
Committee on National Defense and Security
Committee on Public Works
Committee on Rules
Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development
Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization
Congressional Oversight Committee on Clean Air Act
ñ Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and Director General, National Economic Development Authority (July 28, 2008 – August 16, 2009)
ñ Independent Director, Union Bank (Sept. 28, 2007 – July 27, 2008)
ñ Senator, 13th Congress of the Philippines (2004 – 2007)
ñ Chairman: Committee on Ways and Means
Committee on Agrarian Reform
Subcommittee on Basic and Higher Education and Culture
ñ Co-Chairman: Congressional Oversight Committee on the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program
Member: Committee on Accountability of Public Officers
and Investigations (Blue Ribbon Committee)
Committee on Accounts
Committee on Agriculture and Food
Committee on Civil Service and Government Reorganization
Committee on Constitutional Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws
Committee on Education, Arts and Culture
Committee on Energy
Committee on Environment and Natural Resources
Committee on Finance
Committee on Foreign Relations
Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises
Committee on Health and Demography
Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development
Committee on Local Government
Committee on National Defense and Security
Committee on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation
Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs
Committee on Public Services
Committee on Public Works
Committee on Rules Committee on Trade and Commerce
Congressional Oversight Committee on Labor and Employment
Joint Congressional Power Commission
ñ Senator, 12th Congress of the Philippines (2001-2004)
ñ Deputy Majority Floor Leader
ñ Member, Commission on Appointments
ñ Chairman: Committee on Ways and Means
Committee on Accounts
ñ Co-Chairman: Congressional Oversight Committee on the Proper Implementation of the National Internal Revenue Code Congressional
Oversight Committee on Official Development Assistance (ODA)
Congressional Oversight Committee on the Special Purpose Vehicle Act
ñ Vice-Chairman: Committee on Finance Committee on Social Justice, Welfare & Rural Development
ñ Member: Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon Committee)
Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions, & Currencies
Committee on Economic Affairs
Committee on Education, Arts and Culture
Committee on Energy Committee on Games, Amusement & Sports
Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises
Committee on Health and Demography
Committee on Local Government
Committee on National Defense and Security
Committee on Public Services
Committee on Public Works
Committee on Science and Technology
Committee on Trade and Commerce Joint Congressional Power Commission
Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003
ñ Representative, 4th District of Batangas
ñ 11th Congress of the Philippines (1998 – 2001)
ñ Chairman: Committee on Economic Affairs
ñ 10th Congress of the Philippines (1995 – 1998)
ñ Chairman: Special Committee on Poverty Alleviation
Subcommittee on Information Technology Subcommittee on Economic Integration and Opportunities
ñ 9th Congress of the Philippines (1992 – 1995)
ñ Chairman: Subcommittee on Countryside Development
ñ Major Laws Principally Authored/Sponsored
ñ General Tax Amnesty (RA 9480)
ñ Amendments to BCDA (RA 9400)
ñ BCDA’s One-Time Tax Amnesty (RA 9399)
ñ Lifting of the 70% Cap on Input VAT (RA 9361)
ñ Extension of RA 9182 (Special Purpose Vehicle Act of 2002) (RA 9343)
ñ Amendments to the Rent Reform Act (RA 9341)
ñ Amendments to the National Internal Revenue Code (RA 9337) – (Expanded VAT & Increase in Corporate Income Tax)
ñ Lateral Attrition Act of 2005 (RA 9335)
ñ Increasing the Excise Tax Rates on Alcohol and Tobacco Products (RA 9334)
ñ Philippine Overseas Shipping Act (RA 9301)
ñ Domestic Shipping Act (RA 9295)
ñ Restoring the Tax Exemption of Offshore Banking Units (OBUs) and Foreign Currency Deposit Units (FCDUs) (RA 9294)
ñ Expanding the Jurisdiction of the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) (RA 9282)
ñ Rationalizing the Provisions of Documentary Stamp Tax (RA 9243)
ñ Excluding Several Services from VAT Coverage (RA 9238)
ñ Rationalization of Excise Tax on Automobiles (RA 9224)
ñ Special Purpose Vehicle Act of 2002 (RA 9182)
ñ Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Act of 2002 (RA 9178)
ñ Film Development and Incentives Board (RA 9167)
ñ Rent Reform Act of 2001 (RA 9161) § Retail Trade Liberalization Law (RA 8762)
ñ Regional Headquarters Law (RA 8756)
ñ Amendments to the Special Economic Zone Law (RA 8748)
ñ Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act (RA 8425)
ñ Major Laws Co-Authored
ñ Magna Carta for Disabled Persons (RA 9442)
ñ Prohibiting the Detention of Live or Dead Patients in Hospitals on Grounds of Nonpayment of Hospital Bills (RA 9439)
ñ Strengthening the Regulatory Functions of the POEA (RA 9422)
ñ An Act to Strengthen the Office of the Solicitor General (RA 9417)
ñ Biofuels Act of 2006 (RA 9367)
ñ Special Economic Zone Law (RA 7916)
ñ Comprehensive Tax Reform Law (RA 8424)
EDUCATION
ñ Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa
ñ Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology 2009
ñ Masters Degree in Strategic Business Economics
ñ University of Asia and the Pacific, Ortigas, Pasig City 1994
ñ Masters Degree in Public Administration
ñ University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1991
ñ Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Major in Business Administration
ñ De La Salle University, Manila 1987
ñ Secondary Education
ñ De La Salle, Greenhills, San Juan 1982
ñ Elementary Education
ñ Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City 1978
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES, SYMPOSIA, SEMINARS & SUMMITS
ñ Head, Philippine Delegation to the 17th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development New York, U.S.A., May 13-15, 2009
ñ Alternate Governor, Philippine Delegation to the Joint International Monetary Fund-World Bank Annual Meeting Washington D.C., U.S.A., October 9-13, 2008
ñ Official Delegate of the Philippines, United Nations General Assembly and Millennium Development Goals High-Level Meeting New York, U.S.A., September 20-26, 2008
ñ Official Delegate of the Philippines, World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference Hong Kong, China, Dec. 13-18, 2005
ñ Official Delegate, 3rd International Conference of Asian Political Parties Beijing, People’s Republic of China, September 2-5, 2004