Ralph Recto

Congress

Recto 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, and 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 a member of the House of Representatives, most of his legislative measures enacted into law deal 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.

Senate, first term

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.

Arroyo cabinet

After his failed bid for re-election to the Senate in 2007, Recto joined the board of the Union Bank of the Philippines.^[2]

He is said to be offered the position of Secretary of Finance but it was subsequently denied by Malacañang.^[3]

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, on July 23, 2008 named him as the new director-general of National Economic and Development Authority, replacing Augusto Santos, acting NEDA chief.^[4] On August 11, 2009, he resigned as NEDA secretary and Presidential Adviser for Economic Planning, in preparation for another run for Senate in the 2010 election.^[1]

Senate, second term

He was proclaimed as one of the winning senatorial candidates of the 2010 Senate elections. In 2012, while being the committee chair for the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Recto came under fire from doctors, anti-smoking groups and the Aquino Administration for "diluting" a proposed Sin Tax Bill in favor of tobacco firms in the Philippines, reducing proposed taxes from P60 Billion to P15 Billion.^[5] Fellow senator, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, called Recto's actions an "abject surrender to the very rich and very powerful tobacco and alcohol lobby.”^[6] In response to the pressure, Senator Recto soon stepped down as the chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.^[7]

On July 22, 2013, at the start of the first day of the 1st Regular Session of the Senate for the 16th Congress, Recto was elected Senate President Pro-Tempore, the second highest post in the Senate and was also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology and member of the powerful bicameral Commission on Appointments.

Recto ran for re-election in the Philippine Senate election, 2016 under the Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid of LP standard bearer Mar Roxas and won placing 11th in the polls.

Major laws authored/sponsored

Laws authored/sponsored by Ralph G. Recto:^[8]

• RA 10969 - Free Irrigation Service Act (February 2, 2018)

• RA 10931 - Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (August 3, 2017)

• RA 10930 - Extending the Validity Period of Driver's License (August 2, 2017)

• RA 10929 - Free Internet Access in Public Places Act (August 2, 2017)

• RA 10928 - Extending the Validity of Philippine Passport (August 2, 2017)

• RA 10927 - Casinos as Covered Persons Under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (August 2, 2017)

• RA 10868 - Centenarians Act of 2016 (June 30, 2016)

• RA 10863 - Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) (May 30, 2016)

• RA 10848 - Extending the Period of Implementation of the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) (May 23, 2016)

• RA 10844 - Department of Information And Communications Technology (DiCT) Act of 2015 (May 23, 2016)

• RA 10801 - Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Act (May 10, 2016)

• RA 10754 - Additional Benefits for Persons with Disability (PWD) (March 23, 2016)

• RA 10708 - Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act (TIMTA) (December 9, 2015)

• RA 10699 - National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act (November 13, 2015)

• RA 10692 - PAGASA Modernization Act (November 3, 2015)

• RA 10687 - Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) (October 15, 2015) (Co-Author)

• RA 10665 - Open High School System Act (July 9, 2015) (Co-Author)

• RA 10653 - Increasing the Tax Exempt Ceiling on 13th Month Pay and Other Benefits (February 12, 2015)

• RA 10650 - Open Learning and Distance Education Act of 2014 (December 9, 2014) (Co-Author)

• RA 10647 - Ladderized Education Act of 2014 (November 21, 2014) (Co-Author)

• RA 10645 - PhilHealth Coverage for All Senior Citizens (November 5, 2014)

• RA 10638 - Philippine National Railways Charter Extension (June 16, 2014)

• RA 10606 - Amendments to the National Health Insurance Act (June 19, 2013) (Co-Author)

• RA 10533 - Enhancing the Philippine Basic Education System ("K to 12 Program") (May 15, 2013)

• RA 10531 - Strengthening the National Electrification Administration (May 7, 2013)

• RA 10378 - International Common Carriers Tax Exemption (March 7, 2013)

• RA 10349 - Revised AFP Modernization Program (December 11, 2012) (Co-Author)

• RA 10157 - Kindergarten Education Act (January 20, 2012)

• RA 10149 - GOCC Governance Act of 2011 (June 6, 2011) (Co-Author)

• RA 9480 - General Tax Amnesty (May 24, 2007)

• RA 9442 - Magna Carta for Disabled Persons (April 30, 2007) (Co-Author)

• RA 9439 - Prohibiting the Detention of Live or Dead Patients in Hospitals on Grounds of Nonpayment of Hospital Bills (April 27, 2007) (Co-Author)

• RA 9422 - Strengthening the Regulatory Functions of the POEA (April 10, 2007) (Co-Author)

• RA 9417 - Strengthening the Office of the Solicitor General (March 30, 2007) (Co-Author)

• RA 9400 - Amendments to BCDA (March 20, 2007)

• RA 9399 - BCDA’s One-Time Tax Amnesty (March 20, 2007)

• RA 9367 - Biofuels Act of 2006 (January 12, 2007) (Co-Author)

• RA 9361 - Lifting of the 70% Cap on Input VAT (November 21, 2006)

• RA 9343 - Extension of RA 9182 (Special Purpose Vehicle Act of 2002) (April 24, 2006)

• RA 9341 - Amendments to the Rent Reform Act (December 21, 2005)

• RA 9337 - Amendments to the National Internal Revenue Code – (Reformed VAT and Increase in Corporate Income Tax) (May 24, 2005)

• RA 9335 - Lateral Attrition Act of 2005 (January 25, 2005)

• RA 9334 - Increasing the Excise Tax Rates on Alcohol and Tobacco Products (December 21, 2004)

• RA 9301 - Philippine Overseas Shipping Act (July 27, 2004)

• RA 9295 - Domestic Shipping Act (May 3, 2004)

• RA 9294 - Restoring the Tax Exemption of Offshore Banking Units (OBUs) and Foreign Currency Deposit Units (FCDUs) (April 28, 2004)

• RA 9282 - Expanding the Jurisdiction of the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) (March 30, 2004)

• RA 9243 - Rationalizing the Provisions of Documentary Stamp Tax (February 17, 2004)

• RA 9238 - Excluding Several Services from VAT Coverage (February 5, 2004)

• RA 9224 - Rationalization of Excise Tax on Automobiles (August 29, 2003)

• RA 9182 - Special Purpose Vehicle Act of 2002 (December 23, 2002)

• RA 9178 - Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Act of 2002 (November 13, 2002)

• RA 9167 - Film Development and Incentives Board (June 7, 2002)

• RA 9161 - Rent Reform Act of 2001 (December 22, 2001)

• RA 8762 - Retail Trade Liberalization Law (March 7, 2000)

• RA 8756 - Regional Headquarters Law (November 23, 1999)

• RA 8425 - Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act (December 11, 1997)

• RA 8424 - Comprehensive Tax Reform Law (December 11, 1997) (Co-Author)

• RA 7916 - Special Economic Zone Law (February 24, 1995) (Co-Author)