w500 Most frugal, highest spenders

MANILAw500, Philippines — Sen. Mark Villar, son of property tycoon Manuel Villar Jr. who is listed among the world’s top 200 billionaires, was consistently the most frugal senator in 2022 and 2023.

In a paid ad in The STAR yesterday, Villar emerged as the most frugal member of the Senate, spending just P96,962,129.10 in 2023. In 2022, he reported the least expenses with only P35 million.

Like him, his mother, Sen. Cynthia Villar, reported expenses of P101,248,112.89, making the son and mother the least spenders among senators in 2023. Each senator gets a total salary of P3.279 million a year.

The Senate’s expenditure report for 2023, covering payments and expenses from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, revealed how much each senator utilized. Total expenses amounted to P3,215,827,424.13, with significant disparities between the highest spenders and the most frugal members of the Senate.

The expenses covered extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses, travels, salaries and benefits of their staff, meetings and conferences, professional/consultancy fees, supplies and materials, rental of vehicles and equipment, maintenance and other expenses.

Topping the list of highest spenders was former Senate president Juan Miguel Zubiri, who led the chamber from June 2022 to May 2024. His expenses during the period amounted to P164,391,926.42, which might be a reflection of the demands and responsibilities associated with his leadership task.

Following closely are Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, who spent P161,949,752.31, and Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino whose expenses reached P150,263,910.96.

Senate President Francis Escudero, who assumed leadership on May 22, reported expenses of P116,884,508.45,

Other notable high spenders were Sen. Joel Villanueva, with P154,796,920.98, and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, who incurred expenses amounting to P144,454,186.27.

Several senators reported mid-level expenditures. Among them were Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, who spent P143,219,044.62, and Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, P141,042,129.96.

Sen. Grace Poe’s expenses were at P141,435,729.00, Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.  (P136,394,401.04) and Sen. Raffy Tulfo (P136,922,031.30). Sen. Robinhood Padilla spent P108,882,302.75 and Sen. Bong Go, P116,960,756.16.

Alan Peter Cayetano reported no expenses on travel but his staff incurred P9,007,449 for local travel. Villanueva reported the highest expenses for foreign and local travel with P2,259,344.97 and P1,135,439.58, respectively.

Pimentel allocated P7.3 million for meetings and conferences, making him the highest spender in this category. Close behind, Villanueva spent P7.279 million, followed by Dela Rosa with P7.153 million. Pia Cayetano spent P6.797 million for similar engagements.

For vehicle rentals, both Ejercito and Hontiveros spent the most with P4.200 million.

For professional and consultancy, Mark Villa spent the most at P13.679 million, while his mother Cynthia Villar spent P9.448 million.

Pimentel incurred P9.485-million expenses for the same purposes, while Tulfo spent P9.215 million, Lapid, P8.089 million and Legarda, P8.091 million.

They were also ordered to pay their victims P300,000 in moral, civil and exemplary damages.

Angara, who cut short his term as a senator after being appointed secretary of the Department of Education, incurred P9.800 million for the same purpose.

House expenses

For members of the House of Represntatives, Speaker Martin Romualdez bested his 312 colleagues in terms of expenditures for 2023, followed by his congresswoman-wife, who represents the Tingog party-list.

The congressman of Leyte’s first district emerged as the chamber’s top spender with P32.6 million, followed by his wife Rep. Yedda Marie who spent P30.1 million in 2023.

Rep. Juliet de Leon Ferrer of the fourth district of Negros Occidental, who heads the House committee on justice where the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte may be taken up and deliberated upon, came in close second with P31.1 million.

Third was Rep. Rachel Arenas – daughter of socialite and philanthropist Rosemarie Arenas – from the third district of Pangasinan with P30.7 million, followed closely by Bro. Eddie Villanueva of party-list Citizens Battle Against Corruption with P30.5 million.

Ranked fifth was Rep. Dan Fernandez of Sta. Rosa City in Laguna, chairman of the House committee on public order and safety who is among the co-chairs of the very popular quad committee, with P30.43 million in total expenditures – also on an individual basis like his peers – for the same year.

Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe (Zamboanga City) came in close sixth with P30.40-million total expenses, as indicated in the “itemized list of amounts paid to and expenses incurred” for each House member for the same period.

Among the bottom four, or those listed with the least expenses, were former congressman Florencio “Bem” Noel of party-list An Waray whose expenditures were only listed until September of 2023 at P18.1 million, after his party-list was revoked by the Commission on Elections.

Ranked eighth was the late Puerto Princesa mayor Edward Hagedorn, who represented the third district of Palawan province when he died, showing only P17.7 million in total expenses from January to October.

Ninth was Deputy Speaker Camille Villar, who represents the lone district of Las Pinas with P17 million, apparently a frugal one by Congress standards like her senator-mother Cynthia and brother Mark.

free casino online

At the bottom was the congressman-son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla – Rep. Crispin Diego – who took over the seventh district of Cavite when President Marcos appointed his father to the Department of Justicew500, indicating a measly P13.4 million in expenses from February to December 2023.