Sen Ralph Recto resigned as chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means in response to allegations lobbyists paid him to back lower taxes on tobacco and alcohol, the Business Mirror reported.

The Senate panel had reported out a bill recommending substantially lower taxes on tobacco and alcohol that had been proposed by the executive branch, the  Mirror said on its website.
Recto reportedly said he tendered his resignation because he had lost support for his position on an important bill. “The people who will backstop me in the plenary debates on the sin-tax measure are not with me,” he reportedly said. (pi)