Former Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto. Senate PRIB file photo
MANILA, Philippines — “No doubt that he will be a good Finance secretary.”
These were Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s words on Thursday when he welcomed the appointment of what he called “numbers genius” Ralph Recto.
“In the Senate, we always regarded him as the resident numbers genius. This was not just for his mathematical ability, but more importantly for his ability to immediately see the big picture implications of these numbers,” said Zubiri in a statement.
This, after Recto’s wife confirmed that the longtime lawmaker will be the new chief of the Department of Finance.
In the same breath, Zubiri said Recto knows “how to bridge the gap between abstractions of mathematics and concrete realities that we face as a nation.”
“So I have no doubt that he will be a good Finance Secretary, who will continue to push the country along on the road to greater economic prosperity,” said Zubiri.
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In a separate statement, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said Recto is an “able and capable” addition to the President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s cabinet.
“As a legislator for several decades both in the House and the Senate and as former NEDA [National Economic and Development Authority] chief, Sec. Recto is…capable [of] ensuring that we continue to sustain the economic gains we have thus far achieved,” said Escudero.
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Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III aired the same sentiments, saying it’s a “well-deserved” appointment.
“I commiserate with Sec. Recto on his assumption to a difficult job at a very turbulent moment,” said Pimentel.
Recto is set to replace Benjamin Diokno who has served under the helm of the Finance department since Marcos took office in 2022.