Opposition senators among top spenders

Three opposition senators were among the top spenders in 2017.

Senators Antonio Trillanes IV, Risa Hontiveros and Bam Aquino made the top five of the Senate’s big spenders, along with former Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel and Sen. Manny Pacquiao, who is also among the richest in the field owing to his earnings as a world champion professional boxer.

In a published itemized list of expenses of each senator from 1 January to 31 December 2017, Pimentel registered the highest expense at a whopping P127,833,551.38.

Pimentel served as Senate President from 25 July 2016 until 21 May 2018.

He spent a total of P3,947,530.60 in foreign travels and paid P15,660,900 in professional and consultancy fees.

Trillanes, meanwhile, spent a total of P86,985,595.66.

He registered the highest amount paid for professional and consultancy fees at P15,679,700.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao came in at close third with a total expenditure of P86,440,440.79.

Fourth was Hontiveros with P85,201,009.36, followed by Aquino with P85,024,505.25.

In 2015, a year before the national elections, former Vice President Jejomar Binay asked the Senate Ethics Committee to probe Trillanes for allegedly using public funds to pay the salaries of his own household employees.

Binay also alleged Trillanes paid back donors who financed his senatorial campaign with Senate funds.

Senate documents showed that Trillanes allocated P1.63 million each month for the salaries of 63 consultants, which reportedly included his houseboy, family drivers, media workers, campaign donors, ex-mutineer friends and his brother Juan Antonio.

The amount was equal to half of Trillanes’ monthly Senate budget, according to Binay’s camp.

Trillanes was a staunch critic of the former Vice President. He has since shifted his focus on attacking President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Commission on Audit also disclosed the itemized list of amounts paid to and expenses incurred for each member of House of Representatives for 2017 on Tuesday.

Members of the House spent P4,892,388,671.79 in total for their basic salary, committee chairmanship allocation, foreign travel, district field allocation, contractual consultants, representation, consultative local travel, communication, supplies, public affairs fund, central office staff fund, maintenance and other operating expenses and funds for office equipment, furniture and fixtures.

The list was submitted by Supervising Auditor Olympia Balugay and verified by Supervising Auditor Jose Dennis Isip.

Among the lawmakers who topped the list were those tasked as caretakers of other districts like PBA Partylist Rep. Jericho Nograles, who was also the liaison of 1st District of Sulu, Kalinga; Rep. Allen Jesse Mangaoang, who was also a caretaker of the lone district of Mountain Province, and former DIWA Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar who was also the liaison for the Lone District of Las Piñas.

Nograles ranked second by spending P14.925 million and P8.508 million for the offices of PBA Partylist and Sulu District, respectively.

Mangaoang got the third spot after he spent P15.927 million for his office expenses as Kalinga representative. Meanwhile, he paid out P6.300 million for the office of the congressman for the Lone District of Mountain Province from July to December 2017.

Current Justice Undersecretary Aglipay-Villar used P16.082 million for her office as representative of DIWA Partylist and P4.391 million for the office of the Lone District of Las Piñas when she became the caretaker of the district in 2017 following the resignation of Mark Villar who was appointed Public Works and Highways Secretary by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Fifth in the list was North Cotabato Rep. Nancy Catamco who spent P20.062 million for her office.