Many, including Nosy Tarsee, were made indignant by “Chiz” Escudero’s declaration of a net worth of P18.8 million, making him the poorest member of the Senate.

Escudero’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) was hard to believe since it should have included the assets and liabilities of his spouse and any dependent children under the age of 18.

There’s only one exception — if you state in your SALN that you and your spouse have a prenuptial agreement and absolute separation of property, which must be declared on the document.

A prenuptial agreement must include the date it was executed. In Escudero’s SALN, there was no such declaration, so Nosy Tarsee’s assumption is that the assets and liabilities of his wife were included in the document.

There are specific steps to follow if such an arrangement exists, and it must be reflected in the SALN in accordance with the rules of the Civil Service Commission.

Considering the very public lifestyle of the Escudero couple, it’s hard to accept that the senator’s and his celebrity wife Heart Evangelista’s combined net worth is that low.

On social media, the senator’s wife posts her luxury items, like signature bags, and claims that she earns p2 million per show. So Nosy Tarsee is surprised over the clear discrepancy.

Even with a prenuptial agreement and absolute separation of properties, another question is how the senator could afford to gift her with a ring worth at least P57 million?

That would present another complication. Escudero should have paid the donor’s tax on the ring, but if he didn’t, the ring remains his property and should have been declared in his SALN.

How about the expensive watches Escudero wears, which makes his declaration more questionable?

If those are genuine, their total value is clearly much more than p18 million, unless the senator claims these are fakes.

He’d be violating the Intellectual Property Law by possessing counterfeit goods if he claims that he wears fake brands.

Escudero, however, has the option that Villanueva took earlier to evade an Ombudsman dismissal order — which is to seek the Senate’s protection.

As a senator, the Senate President can shield him by stating that jurisdiction over him lies primarily with the Senate Ethics Committee. That’s how Villanueva remains a senator up to now.

Ultimately, the problem lies with the Senate as an institution — which keeps its members protected even from legitimate court orders.