Profile of Senator Ralph Gonzalez Recto

Senator Ralph Gonzalez Recto is known for his competence, compassion and hard
work. These core values form the foundation that built his reputation as an
independent and dedicated legislator. He approaches legislation with a passion to
make a better life for the Filipino people.

His impartial judgement is reflected in his openness and willingness to listen to

contrary position. Critical thinking governs his objective analysis of information to
address problems and issues. He recognizes the merit of new concepts and
innovations but these should be practical and doable.

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 but
relevant measures. He faces resistance head on, but in ways that disarm the
adversary. Whoever initially opposes his ideas is soon converted into an ally because
his argument is always evidence-based rather than one presented in sophisticated
but empty rhetoric.

Family and personal life

Senator Ralph Recto’s political lineage is traced to the late Senator Claro Mayo
Recto, a nationalist and statesman, and a descendant of the patriotic Mayo and
Recto clans of Luzon. Senator Recto is the second of three children of lawyer Rafael
Recto, an Assemblyman during the Regular Batasang Pambansa, and Carmen
Gonzalez-Recto whose family hails from Pangasinan.

He is married to Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto of Tarlac and Nueva Ecija,

father to Ryan Christian and stepfather to Luis Philippe Manzano.

Education

Senator Recto has completed the coursework and is a candidate for both master's
degree in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines, and Master’s
degree in Strategic Business Economics from the University of Asia and the Pacific.
He also took up a Leadership Course at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at
Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America. He
acquired a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce major in Business Management at the De
La Salle University-Manila. His elementary years were spent at the Ateneo de Manila
University and La Salle Greenhills while his high school diploma was from La Salle
Greenhills.

He was conferred a degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa from the Batangas
State University, as well as a degree of Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa by the
Lipa City Public College in 2010 and by the Nueva Ecija University of Science and
Technology in 2009.
Enduring marriage and shared politics

The couple Ralph Recto and Vilma Santos-Recto shares the core values of honesty,
respect, commitment and compassion. These are reflected in the way they nurture
their marriage and how they navigate the political landscape together.

In 1992, Ralph launched his political career as he sought and won a seat in Congress
as Representative of the 4th District of Batangas. Vilma supported his aspirations and
was on his side as they campaigned in every nook and cranny of the city,
municipalities and barangays of the district. In the same year, they got married in
what is considered as one of the most celebrated weddings of that time.

Ralph moved on to win three terms as Representative. In 2001, after his stint in the
House of Representatives, he ran for Senator and won a six-year term in a closely
contested election. He was again elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2016.

In 1998, Vilma herself heeded the call to public service when she joined the race for
Mayor of Lipa City. At that time, Ralph was also a candidate for his last term as
Representative. Ralph was the astute campaign manager and political adviser. Vilma
gained the trust of the Lipeños and won a mandate of three terms or a total of nine
years as City Mayor. In 2001, then Mayor Vilma ran for re-election while Ralph ran
for his first term as Senator. Running at the same time in the local and national
elections would be a situation repeated in many occasions, which made running the
campaign simultaneously in two levels more challenging in terms of management,
organization and funding.

Senator Recto continued to help shepherd the political career of his wife even when
she ran and won the election for Governor of Batangas in 2007. He worked together
with then Governor Vilma in designing a strategic provincial plan for Batangas as well
as in sourcing the financing of the programs and projects identified in the plan.

A 6th District of Batangas was created in 2016 and Vilma who had then served three
terms as Governor, vied for election as the Representative of the new District. At
the same time, Senator Recto also ran for his last term as Senator. Both candidates
won on the advocacy under the acronym HEARTS which stands for Health, Education
and Environment, Agriculture, Roads, Transportation and Security. Senate President
Pro Tempore Ralph and Deputy Speaker Vilma collaborated in crafting local laws that
benefited Lipa City as well as laws that had national application. The progress of Lipa
City and Batangas was boosted by substantial funding brought home by Senator
Ralph and Representative Vilma that financed health care, scholarship programs,
emergency jobs, livelihood projects, road construction, school buildings, hospital
infrastructure, multi-purpose buildings, and social welfare programs, among others.

It can be said that Senator Ralph and Deputy Speaker Vilma complement each other.
Their character strengths work to achieve success in marriage and in politics. Senator
Ralph with his expertise in Economics, management and governance continues to
provide guidance to Deputy Speaker Vilma in her political career. On the other hand,

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the latter, with her invaluable skills in people management, coming from her vast
experience in the entertainment industry, helps in communicating and simplifying
complex theories and technical arguments that is understandable to the masa.

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 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.
Moreover, he proposed a new economic plan dubbed as REAP (Reloading Economic
Acceleration Plan) to protect the gains made from the ERP. Recto advocated various
development issues such as a transparent oil pricing scheme to protect consumers as
well as institute greater transparency and efficiency in government project
implementation.

At the Philippine Senate

In the 18th Congress, he is elected as Senate Pro Tempore, a member of the

Commission on Appointments and is an ex-officio member of all Standing
Committees.

He was elected the Senate President Pro Tempore in the 17th Congress, prior to this
was a brief stint as Minority Leader.

The Senator was also President Pro Tempore as well as the chairperson of the
Committee on Science and Technology, and continued to be a member of the
Commission on Appointments, in the 16th Congress.

In the 15th Congress, Senator Recto chaired the Committee on Ways and Means,
and the Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises. He was vice

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chairperson of the Committee on Public Services and a member of the Commission
on Appointments.

He was elected chairperson of the Committee on Ways and Means and the
Committee on Agrarian Reform, as well as Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on
Basic and Higher Education and Culture, in the 13th Congress.

In the 12th Congress, Senator Recto was chairperson of the Committee on Ways and
Means and the Committee on Trade and Industry. Sensitivity to the welfare of
government employees also marked his chairing of the Accounts Committee dealing
with the Senate budget.

As Chairperson of the Committee on Ways and Means, he also co-chaired 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).

Laws Authored

In the 18th Congress, he has authored laws including the Bayanihan I and II, the
extension of the GAA 2020 and the Bayanihan II, the COVID – 19 Vaccination
Program, Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund, Corporate Recovery and Tax
Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE), Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer
(FIST), Authorizing the President to Expedite the Processing and Issuance of National
and Local Permits, Licenses and Certifications in Times of National Emergency and
the Medical Scholarship Act. Senator Recto is the principal author of the law taxing
POGOs and the Salary Standardization Law V.

For the 17th Congress, he authored the following laws: Universal Access to Quality
Tertiary Education, Universal Healthcare, Mandatory PhilHealth Coverage for
Persons with Disability, Masustansiyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act, Healthy
Nanay and Bulilit Act, Free Irrigation Service, Rice Tariffication, Institutionalization of
the 4Ps Program, Murang Kuryente Act, Free Internet Access in Public Places, Ease of
Doing Business, Extending the Validity of Philippine Passport and Driver's License,
National ID System, Amendments to the SSS Charter, the New Central Bank Act, Tax
Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law (TRAIN) and Designating Casinos as
Covered Persons under the AMLA.

His other legislative accomplishments for the 15 th and 16th Congresses include
authorship of laws on Kindergarten, K to 12, Unified Student Financial Assistance
System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), Open High School System, Open Learning
and Distance Education Act, Ladderized Education Act, mandatory PHILHEALTH
coverage for senior citizens, additional benefits for Persons with Disabilities,
Centenarians Act, increasing the tax-exempt ceiling on 13th month pay and other
benefits, extension of the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, PAGASA
modernization, AFP modernization, creation of the Department of Information and
Communications Technology, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)

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Act, National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act, Customs
Modernization and Tariff Act, Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act and
extending the Corporate Life of the Philippine National Railways.

During the first term (12th and 13th Congresses) of Senator Recto, he authored several
revenue measures that impacted on the fiscal position of the government that
resulted in the economic turnaround. These include: Amendments to the National
Internal Revenue Code, Rationalization of Excise Tax on Automobiles Increasing the
Excise Tax Rates on Alcohol and Tobacco Products, Rationalizing the Provisions of
Documentary Stamp Tax, Attrition Act of 2005, General Tax Amnesty and Expanding
the Jurisdiction of the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA).

Senator Recto during his first term was also author of significant bills that boosted
the economy and improved the life of the people, as follows: Lifting of the 70% Cap
on Input VAT, Special Purpose Vehicle Act and its Extension, Excluding Several
Services from VAT Coverage, Restoring the Tax Exemption of Offshore Banking Units
(OBUs) and Foreign Currency Deposit Units (FCDUs), Amendments to BCDA, BCDA’s
One-Time Tax Amnesty, Philippine Overseas Shipping Act, and the Domestic Shipping
Act, Barangay Microbusiness Enterprise Act, Rent Control Act and Rental Reform Act.

The other laws that he co-authored consistent with his legislative agenda include:
Amendments to the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, Prohibiting the Detention of
Live or Dead Patients in Hospitals, Alternative Learning System Act, Student Fare
Discount Act, Improving the Confirmation Process for Imperfect Land Titles,
Strengthening the Regulatory Functions of the POEA, Biofuels Act and Creating the
Film Development Council of the Philippines.

Consumer protection and social benefits

He has come out in defense of Juan de la Cruz in consumer issues like universal
health care, social security, oil price, electric power, transportation fare and services,
telecommunication services, license plates, and rice supply and pricing. He also
initiated increased budget support for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), free
college tuition, free wifi in public places, hiring of rural doctors and nurses,
upgrading of regional hospitals, Centenarian and senior citizen benefits, DSWD
feeding program, OFW Repatriation, PNP Modernization, DOLE livelihood and
emergency employment programs, among others.

Initiatives for COVID-19 Response

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Recto filed bills that were
consolidated in Bayanihan I and II laws. The Senator initiated budget priorities that
were necessary not only to stem the spread of the virus but also to speed up the
economic recovery. These support for health programs included funding for testing,
isolation and quarantine, contact tracing, treatment, and for the purchase and
logistics of COVID-19 vaccines. Budget allocation was also provided for social
amelioration programs to alleviate the plight of those who were without income in

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view of the lockdowns.

Senator Recto has also supported initiatives intended to soften the impact of an
economic downturn. These include the funding of wholesale banking and equity
infusion for government banks and financial institutions in order to finance
industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. These benefited MSMEs,
cooperatives, hospitals, tourism and OFWs, among others; Business was also
assisted through a combination of increasing available loanable funds, reducing
documentary requirements, increasing maximum loan amounts per borrower,
reducing interest rates, extending loan terms, utilization of financial technologies,
and financing operating expenses to ensure that they continue operating their
businesses.

The critically impacted sector also received help through provisions of the Bayanihan
II that granted regulatory relief and waiver from licenses, permits, clearances and
other requisite documents for projects of national significance; exemptions from
import duties, tax, and fees; grace period for loan payment and term extension; and
preference in government procurement to locally manufactured essential goods
needed for COVID-19 mitigation, among others.

Bayanihan III otherwise known as the Bayanihan to Rebuild as One was also filed by
the Senator in December of 2020. This was meant as a continuing response to COVID
-19 that will soften the impact of an economic downturn, accelerate the economic
recovery of the country and also respond to the needs of areas battered by the
typhoons.  The bill has not yet been passed by Congress.

Preference for the common tao

Senator Recto has made a mark in his zealous involvement in the crafting of
meaningful legislations as well as in the exercise of Congressional oversight
particularly on matters that affect the common tao.

A deep sense of equity and fairness define his balanced handling and scrutiny of
legislative measures and issues. In all cases, he assigns great value on the people’s
needs. With inclusive growth, it is expected that the poor will share the responsibility
and fruits of development.