Villar, Senate’s wealthiest, gets richer; Escudero ‘poorest’

Senator Cynthia Villar, already the wealthiest among the 24 senators, got richer by more than a billion pesos last year, while Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero became the poorest based on their 2015 statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

Villar, wife of former senator Manny Villar, remained the only billionaire member of the Senate.

READ: Richest solon suffers high costs of bills, laments gov’t inaction

The Villar family is involved in real estate business.

From P1.983 billion in 2014, Senator Villar’s net worth surged to P3.5 billion as of December 31, 2015 with no liabilities.

Under her assets in the 2015 SALN are “real properties” amounting to P4,588,619.00, and “personal properties” composed of “investment in shares of stocks” amounting to P2,249,716,143 and “other real and personal properties” amounting to P1,246,260,718 or a total of P3,500,565,480.00.

READ: Cynthia Villar is richest senator, Trillanes ‘poorest’

Escudero, meanwhile, got poorer by hundreds thousands of pesos when his net worth dropped from P6. 049 million in 2014 to P5.847 million last year with no liabilities.

His SALN declaration did not include the assets and liabilities of his wife, actress Heart Evangelista though there were attached documents detailing the latter’s assets and liabilities.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who was the poorest senator in 2014 with P5.549 million net worth, got richer by more than P400,000 when his net worth rose to P5.984 million last year.

Senator Grace Poe, who ran in the last election, was among the top 10 richest members of the Senate.

Poe had declared total assets of P125,658,991.97 and liabilities amounting to P36, 540, 231.95. Her net worth in 2015 was P89.118 million.

The top 10 richest senators also included detained lawmakers Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., and Juan Ponce Enrile, who are all charged with plunder over the pork barrel scam.

This is the list of the senators’ net worth in 2015:

1. Senator Cynthia Villar: P3,500,565,481.00
2. Senator Ralph Recto: P531,670,710.00
3. Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.: P211,077,912.37
4. Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada: P193,162,258.78
5. Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.: P173,394,137.77
6. Senator Juan Ponce Enrile: P122,118,754.00
7. Senator Sonny Angara: P118,268,372.00
8. Senator Teofisto Guingona III: P103,886,695.00
9. Senator Sergio Osmena III: P90,525,000.00
10. Senator Grace Poe: P89,118,760.00
11. Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago: P 85,909,512.00
12. Senator Franklin Drilon: P 79,016,838.00
13. Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito: P 78,675,444.48
14. Senator Pia Cayetano: P 73,322,136.23
15. Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III: P 66,800,280.00
16. Senator Nancy Binay: P61,360,864.00
17. Senator Lito Lapid: P 43,150,000.00
18. Senator Loren Legarda: P40,545,259.42
19. Senator Bam Aquino: P28,751,800.59
20. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano: P23,564,540.00
21. Senator Gringo Honasan: P20,944,738.00
22. Senator Aqulino “Koko” Pimentel III: P17,920,025.00
23. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV: P5,984,089.77
24. Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero: P5,847,082.09 IDL/RGA