Ralph Recto

Ralph Recto is the current secretary of the Department of Finance (DOF), a position to which he was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in January 2024. He is also a member of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ Monetary Board.

Before joining the Marcos Cabinet, Recto served in the legislative branch. He entered politics as Batangas 4th District representative from 1992 to 2001, then became a senator from 2001 to 2007 and from 2010 to 2022. Between his terms in the Senate, he became socioeconomic planning secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority from 2008 to 2009.

In the 2022 elections, Recto won unopposed for Batangas 6th District representative, replacing his wife, politician and veteran actress Vilma Santos-Recto. He was subsequently chosen as one of the deputy speakers of the House, then left the lower chamber upon his appointment to the DOF.

Recto was the principal author or sponsor of key laws, including the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act, Universal Healthcare Act, Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act, and Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act, among others.

Recto holds a commerce degree from De La Salle University. His key priorities as finance chief, according to the DOF, are “curbing inflation decisively, securing a reliable flow of revenues to fund the government’s social and infrastructure programs, optimizing tax administration efficiency, ensuring long-term fiscal sustainability, acting swiftly on investments, and driving more initiatives to boost the economy as well as broaden the country’s tax base.”