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Tag: Ralph Recto

The tragedy of a numbed citizenry

Senator Grace Poe at the hearing of LTFRB’s suspension of UBER operations.

I seriously doubt if this bill by Angat Tayo Party List Rep. Neil Abayon will prosper into law and if it could be implemented. But it’s good enough because it is a recognition of government officials’ incompetence and ignorance of the situation on the ground.

House Bill 6195 authored by Abayon requires elected and appointed public officials with the rank or equivalent of division chief to department secretary to ride public land transport to and from work and for official business at least once every calendar month during weekday rush hours.

The purpose of the bill is in order for government officials to gain “personal, first-hand experience “and “real world perspective” about riding in public transport in this country.

Ways and Means committee:pitfall for two Batangueño legislators

“National punching bag of the week”
In a period of one year, the Ways and Means committees of both legislative chambers claimed two Batangueños.

Last Monday, Sen. Ralph Recto resigned as chair of the Senate Ways and Means committee after he found himself a target of criticisms for his committee report and his own version of the Sin Tax bill which groups pushing for higher taxes say is Philip Morris-friendly.

PNoy to Mandanas: “Pasensyahan na lang tayo.”

December last year, Batangas Rep. (2nd district) Hermilando Mandanas, a member of the Liberal party just like Recto, was removed as chairman of the ways and means committee. He was replaced by another LP member, Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab.

The Ways and Means committees are most coveted and are given to senior legislators. The committees have jurisdiction on all matters relating to revenue which include taxes and fees, tariffs, loans and other
sources and forms of revenue.

I know of a legislator who had held that position for many years he became so rich that last election, money flowed like water in his province. He won, of course, together with his son who also ran for another elective post.

Recto’s equilibrium and erectile dysfunction

Update: Recto quits as ways and means chair: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/10/15/12/recto-quits-ways-and-means-chair

Recto’s version of Sin Tax is Philip Morris-friendly
Studies have shown that the ill-effects of smoking coupled with poor diet and lack of exercise are not limited to cardiovascular, respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer, which are afflicting Filipinos at their most productive age, 40’s and early 50’s.
Leachon, a cardiologist, leads the crusade for higher taxes on cigarette and alcohol products.

In one of the lectures,Dr. Anthony Leachon, cardiologist and consultant on non-communicable diseases of the Department of Health, said recent studies have shown that smoking causes erectile dysfunction.

Privilege Speech delivered by Sen Recto Oct 15,2012

“You may not die of erectile dysfunction but some men die for it,” quipped Leachon, who is leading the campaign for the passage of the Sin Tax, not the Recto-fied version but the one that the authored by Sen. Miriam Santiago. He also supports the version passed by the House of Representatives authored by then Cavite Representative (now Secretary of Transportation and Communication) Joseph Abaya.

Osmeña bolts LP senatorial ticket

From ABS-CBN news online

Former senator Sergio “Serge” Osmeña III has bolted the senatorial slate of Liberal Party (LP) for the 2010 elections reportedly due to a disagreement over the party’s choice to include as members some key people from the Arroyo administration.

Osmeña, who is a member of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), was included in LP’s senatorial slate for the 2010 elections as announced by its leaders Monday.

According to a reliable source, Osmeña disagreed with the LP decision to include former senator Ralph Recto and his wife Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto in the party.

The battle for Batangas votes

The Liberal Party thinks it has scored a hit with the defection of Batangas Governor Vilma Santos and husband Ralph Recto, former senator and economic planning secretary of Gloria Arroyo.

Batangas, with an estimated voting population of 1.5 million, is a prime target of any presidential candidate.

Sources said it was Recto who wanted to join the LP having learned from his 2007 senatorial loss due to the Gloria Arroyo stigma.

Although he was also negotiating a slot with the Nacionalista Party headed by his Wednesday Club buddy Manny Villar, Recto knew that he could not shake off the GMA stigma if he were with the NP, which is dubbed in political circles as “Arroyo’s opposition party.”

Palubog na barko ni Arroyo

Malaki ang epekto sa pulitika ng pagkamatay ni Pangulong Cory Aquino at sa nakita nating pagpupugay sa kanya ng bansang Pilipino.

Tumaas ang paningin ng taumbayan sa pamilyang Aquino at ngayon ay pinag-uusapan na baka tatakbo si Nonoy Aquino bilang bise-presidente o presidente.

Malaki naman ang dagok sa administrasyong Arroyo. Nagmu-mukhang palubog na ang barko na kanyang pinagyayabang noong kanyang state of the nation address tuloy-tuloy ang biyahe.