Who is the richest, poorest RP senators? - Top Stories

MANILA – Senate President Manuel Villar, a successful real estate developer whose companies advertise in the Manila Mail, is the richest member of the Philippine Senate.

And the poorest member is Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV who won election this year even though he is in prison facing charges of rebellion.

The latest statement of assets, liabilities and net worth of (SALN), Villar, the Tondo boy who made good selling low-cost houses, listed his net worth as P921.4 million, up less than 1 percent from the P915.6 million he declared in 2006.

Villar, who ranked No. 24 in Forbes Asia’s 40 richest Filipinos with a $110-million fortune, accounted for 47 percent of the combined net worth of P1.954 billion of all 23 senators.

His latest net worth is nearly three times the P330 million he declared in 2000, his first year as a senator.

Trillanes, the leader of the Magdalo group of junior military officers which launched a coup in 2003, reported a net worth of P2.3 million, placing him last on the list of all 23 millionaire senators.

Among the new senators, only Juan Miguel Zubiri joined the 10 richest senators. Zubiri was ninth with a net worth of P43.3 million.

Two scions of old-rich families followed Villar — Sen. Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal with a net worth of P148.9 million and Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II with P140.3 million.

Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. came in fourth with P107 million. Villar, Madrigal, Roxas and Revilla are the four senators with a net worth of more than P100 million each.

Rounding out the Top 10 are Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile (P98 million); Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada (P83 million); Sen. Pia Cayetano (P76.2 million); Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago (P76 million) and Sen. Loren Legarda (P41.4 million).

Compared to Zubiri, the other neophyte senators have “modest” wealth —Alan Peter Cayetano (P16 million), Benigno Aquino III (P13.3 million) and Francis Joseph Escudero (P7.4 million).

The rest of the senators and their net worth were Edgardo Angara (P41 million), Rodolfo Biazon, (P27.4 million); Panfilo Lacson (P25.8 million) and Richard Gordon (P25.6 million).

Francis Pangilinan (P15.4 million), Gregorio Honasan (P12 million), Lito Lapid (P11.6 million), Joker Arroyo (P11 million) and Aquilino Pimentel Jr. (P10.3 million).

The assets declared by the senators does not reflect the current market values of their properties, especially houses and land.

A house and lot in Dasmari±as Village in Makati City, for instance, which was acquired in the 1960s, may be worth tens of millions of pesos today.

But its worth as reflected in a SALN would be much less. This is because a senator, or any public official for that matter, can use the acquisition cost of the property in declaring its value.