Enrile's camp denies he received P71-M additional salary

The camp of Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile on Thursday denied that the lawmaker received P71.7 million in additional salary in 2011.

In a statement, lawyer Carole Quirolgico, Enrile's chief of staff, confirmed that the amount was allocated to the senator's office when he was still Senate President, but clarified that it was never used for personal purposes.

"The P71.7 million additional budget for the Office of the Senate President that Senator [Miriam] Santiago mentioned in her press release yesterday were funds allocated for the operational requirements of the said office," Quirolgico said.

To justify the additional funds, the lawyer added that Enrile, as then-Senate President, was also tasked "to address special requirements and contingencies of the offices under the Secretariat and the committees of the Senate."

"As [the Senate's] political and administrative head, it is reasonable to expect that the Office of the Senate President would require the biggest budgetary allocation compared to the other members and officers of the Senate," she said.

On Wednesday, Santiago claimed that some senators, including Enrile, receive millions on top of their P90,000 monthly salary due to their positions.

Quirolgico challenged Enrile's critics to scrutinize their books of accounts. — Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMA News