JPE, Jinggoy richer in 2013; Bong, poorer but still Senate's 5th wealthiest

Two of the three senators charged before the Ombudsman for plunder in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel scam became wealthier last year when news on the massive fraud hit the headlines, their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) showed.

 

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada declared a net worth of over P195 million in 2013, making him the fourth richest senator in the 16th Congress.  Estrada's latest net worth was P1.4 million higher than his declared wealth two years ago.

 

Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile's net worth grew to P119,376,611 from the P118,626,539 he declared in 2012.  This makes him the seventh wealthiest in the Senate.

 

The third senator charged in connection with the scam, Sen. Ramon Revilla, Jr., became poorer with a declared net worth of over P166.7 million in 2013.  This figure is about P2.4 million lower than his declared net worth two years ago.

 

Revilla, however, remains the fifth richest senator. 

 

Records of the pork barrel scam case indicated that Revilla pocketed P242 million from the fraud; Estrada, P183 million; and Enrile, P172 million.

 

Estrada declared among his assets four condominium units in San Juan and in Quezon City worth a total of P66 million. He also declared P119 million in investments and several vehicles worth a total of P8.2 million.

 

Estrada added in his SALN that he had P16.7 million in cash or placed in banks by the end of 2013.

 

Enrile in his SALN declared that he derived most of his wealth from investments, which were worth P67 million in 2013.

 

Among Revilla's declared assets were pieces of real estate worth a total of P97.8 million eight vehicles valued at a total of P17.6 million.  His SALN indicated that he had P112 million in cash and receivables by the end of 2013.

 

Estrada, Enrile and Revilla are facing plunder charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly pocketing millions of pesos in kickbacks from the pork barrel scam allegedly engineered by Janet Lim-Napoles.

 

Villar richest, Trillanes poorest

 

Sen. Cynthia Villar is now the wealthiest and the lone billionaire in the Senate—the position previously held by her husband, former Sen. Manuel Villar.  The incumbent senator declared a net worth of over P1.62 billion.

 

Manny Villar bowed out of the Senate in 2013 after two consecutive terms and a failed presidential candidacy in 2010.

 

Cynthia Villar declared P818 million in "real and personal properties" and over P802 in investments shares of stocks.

 

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV remains the poorest member of the Senate, with a net worth of over P12.5 million. —NB, GMA News