1. Ralph Recto previously served as the representative for Batangas' 6th district and as the House Deputy Speaker from 2022 to 2024.
24 Facts About Ralph Recto
1. 2.
Ralph Recto started his political career as the representative of Batangas' 4th district from 1992 to 2001.
3.
In 2007, Ralph Recto lost his Senate reelection bid because, as many analysts believed, he had authored the unpopular EVAT law.
4.
Ralph Recto is a grandson of statesman Claro M Recto.
5.
Ralph Recto's grandfather, the late nationalist and statesman Claro M Recto, was a Senator for several terms.
6.
Ralph Recto's sister, Plinky Recto, is an actress and TV host.
7.
Ralph Recto acquired a Bachelor of Science in commerce at the De La Salle University in 1989.
8.
Ralph Recto later took a Strategic Business Economics Program at the University of Asia and the Pacific in 1993, where he acquired a Certificate in Business Economics.
9.
Ralph Recto holds the distinction of being the youngest elected member of the House of Representatives during the 9th Congress.
10.
Ralph Recto 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.
11.
Ralph Recto was elected to the Senate in 2001, becoming the youngest Senator of the 12th Congress at the age of 37.
12.
Ralph Recto was co-chairman of the Congressional Oversight Committees on the Proper Implementation of the National Internal Revenue Code and on the Official Development Assistance.
13.
Ralph Recto is said to have been offered the position of Secretary of Finance but it was denied by Malacanang.
14.
Ralph Recto was proclaimed as one of the winning senatorial candidates of the 2010 Senate elections.
15.
On July 22,2013, at the start of the first day of the 1st Regular Session of the Senate for the 16th Congress, Ralph Recto was elected Senate President Pro-Tempore, the second highest post in the Senate and was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology and member of the bicameral Commission on Appointments.
16.
Ralph Recto ran for re-election in the 2016 Philippine Senate election under the Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid of LP standard bearer Mar Roxas and won placing 11th in the polls.
17.
Ralph Recto was joined by Escudero and Trillanes in the minority bloc.
18.
Ralph Recto kept his post as Senate President Pro Tempore in the 18th Congress.
19.
In September 2018, Ralph Recto left the Liberal Party to re-join the Nacionalista Party.
20.
Ralph Recto then won the election unopposed, succeeding his wife Vilma Santos who chose not to seek reelection.
21.
On July 27,2022, Ralph Recto was named as a House Deputy Speaker under the speakership of Martin Romualdez.
22.
On January 11,2024, his 60th birthday, Ralph Recto was appointed by President Bongbong Marcos as secretary of finance.
23.
Ralph Recto took his oath of office on January 12,2024, succeeding Benjamin Diokno, while eventually vacating the posts of the House Deputy Speaker and the House Representative of the 6th district of Batangas, simultaneously.
24.
Ralph Recto is married to actress and former Batangas Representative Vilma Santos-Recto, with whom he has one son, Ryan Recto.