Justice Marvic Leonen. INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
Associate Justice Marvic Leonen again stood out as the poorest magistrate, while Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza remained the richest, according to the 2016 summary report of the Supreme Court justices’ statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) released on Friday.
Leonen’s net worth also grew the least among the 14 justices included in the report (excluded was Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr., who was appointed only this month).
From P2.2 million in 2015—the lowest among the Supreme Court justices—Leonen’s net worth grew to P2.4 million in 2016, registering a P220,000 increase.
Though he had declared real property worth P3.4 million and personal property worth P2.6 million, the former law dean of the University of the Philippines said he was saddled with liabilities worth P3.6 million.
Jardeleza, on the other hand, had a net worth of P252.1 million as of the end of last year, and posted the eighth highest increase in net worth among the justices, at P2.4 million.
The associate justice, who jointly filed his SALN with his wife, Concepcion, had a net worth of P249 million in 2015.
The Supreme Court has been releasing a yearly summary report of the justices’ SALN since 2012, after the late Chief Justice Renato Corona was impeached and ousted in May 2012 for undeclared assets in his SALN.
Other justices
Here are the other justices’ SALN ranking, from richest to poorest:
Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, declared a net worth of P138.9 million which, he said, included the assets of his wife, former Ateneo law dean Cynthia Roxas-del Castillo. The second-richest magistrate’s assets were P3.8 million higher than in 2015.
The third richest was Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa, who posted a net worth of P121.5 million, up by P4.3 million from P117 million in 2015. He also posted the third-highest increase in net worth.
Associate Justice Antonio Carpio came in as the fourth richest, with a net worth of P82.6 million. But he also registered the second-least increase in net worth, by around P521,000.
Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe’s net worth of P78.2 million, an increase of P1.7 million from the previous year, made her the fifth richest justice last year.
Next came Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes, who retired on July 6, with a net worth of P77.8 million, up by P784,000 from his net worth in 2015.
In seventh place among the richest was Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, with a net worth of P43.5 million. He, however, posted the third-highest increase in net worth, at P4.4 million.
Next came Associate Justice Jose Mendoza, whose net worth increased by P4.1 million to P41.4 million, the fourth-highest increase in net worth.