Vilma Santos-Recto

In 1998, she entered politics and ran for mayor of Lipa City, Batangas where she won three consecutive elections, becoming the city's first female mayor.[10]

In 2005, the University of the Philippines Diliman conferred on her the Gawad Plaridel Award for her achievements and contributions both as an actress and a public servant.[11] In the same year she was conferred an honorary doctorate degree (honoris causa) in humanities by the Lipa City College.[12] She was again honored in 2006 by UP Diliman as one of the four awardees in UP's First Diwata Awards.[13]

Vilma Santos - the Enduring Grand Dame of Philippine Cinema

In 2007, Santos-Recto was on her third and final term as Mayor of Lipa and was barred for seeking another term. She became a reluctant candidate for Governor of Batangas as her brother-in-law, incumbent Vice Governor Richard Recto, is seeking the governorship.

On March 5, 2007, during the regular flag-raising ceremony at the Lipa City Hall, Santos-Recto ask for a week to decide if she will run or not. This was attended by thousands of her supporters not only in Lipa but from different towns in Batangas. On March 12, 2007, she made her final decision, running for Governor of Batangas despite having her brother-in-law as her rival, including incumbent governor Arman Sanchez and former police chief Nestor Sanares.

On the day of her filing of her candidacy, Richard Recto decided to withdraw his candidacy and run for congress instead.

Santos-Recto was proclaimed Governor-elect of the province of Batangas on May 21, 2007, after garnering 475,740 votes against incumbent Arman Sanchez's 344,969 becoming the first female governor of the province of Batangas. Governor Santos-Recto was reelected Governor of Batangas during the May 2010 elections defeating incumbent Santo Tomas Mayor Edna Sanchez, who substituted her husband Arman Sanchez who died on April 27, 2010, and again, reelected as Governor of Batangas during the May 2013 elections and her last term being a Governor.[14]

After her election for her third and final term as Governor of Batangas, speculations circulated that Santos-Recto would run for the national level. However, she declined every offer to run for a higher level. She decided to run as the first representative of the newly formed 6th District of Batangas, would comprise only the City of Lipa. Santos-Recto won by a landslide, defeating Bernadette Sabili.[15]

She became chairman of the Committee on Civil Service and Professional Regulation. However, she was removed from the post by the House leadership for her rejection of the reimposition of capital punishment. She is the vice chair of the Committee on Globalization and WTO and the Committee on Local Government. She is also a member of the committees on Basic Education and Culture, Cooperatives Development, Information and Communications Technology, Interparliamentary Relations and Diplomacy, Labor and Employment, Poverty Alleviation, Public Works and Highways, Southern Tagalog Development, Ways and Means, Welfare af Children, and Women and Gender Equality.

She is co-author of the SOGIE Equality bill (Anti-discrimination bill), Magna Carta for Day Care Workers, Maternity Leave Increase bill, Cancer Awareness bill, expanded Senior Citizens bill, and Post-graduate Education for Teachers bill.[16]

In September 2018, she switched from the Liberal Party, where she was a member since 2009, to the Nacionalista Party.[17]

On July 10, 2020, she is one of the 11 representatives who voted favor to grant ABS-CBN's legislative franchise.[18] in which she supported the network's cause for the people and culture. ABS-CBN is also responsible for the restoration of some of her films as well as preservation, which includes Kapag Langit ang Humatol, Anak, Haplos, and Dekada '70.

Although she's eligible to run for a third term, and due to speculations that she might run for a national post, Santos-Recto decided not to seek another term, nor run in any position in the 2022 elections, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 2000 – Anak Soundtrack
• 2005 – Vilma (CD, collection of 23 songs)

• 1969 – "Sixteen"
• 1969 – "Da Doo Ron Ron"
• 1969 – "Wonderful to Be in Love"
• 1969 – "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"
• 1970 – "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do"
• 1970 – "Something Stupid"
• 1970 – "Bring Back Your Love"
• 1970 – "You're All I Want for Christmas"
• 1970 – "I Wonder Why"
• 1971 – "Abadaba Honeymoon"
• 1971 – "Bobby, Bobby, Bobby"
• 1971 – "Dry Your Eyes"
• 1971 – "Love, Love"
• 1971 – "It's Been a Long Long Time"
• 1971 – "Baby Cakes"
• 1971 – "I Love You Honey"
• 1971 – "Then Along Came You, Edgar"
• 1971 – "Mandolin in the Moonlight"
• 1971 – "Sealed with a Kiss"
• 1971 – "Tweddle Dee"
• 1971 – "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"
• 1971 – "Don't You Break My Heart"
• 1971 – "Wonderful World of Music"
• 1971 – "You Made Me Love You"
• 1971 – "The Birds and the Bees"
• 1972 – "Rick Tick Song"
• 1972 – "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)"
• 1972 – "My Boy Lollipop"
• 1973 – "Palung-Palo Ako"
• 1973 – "Walang Umiibig"
• 1974 – "Tok Tok Palatok"
• 1974 – "Isipin Mong Basta't Mahal Kita"
• 1974 – "Batya't Palu Palo"
• 1974 – "Mamang Kutsero"
• 1976 – "Mga Rosas sa Putikan"