Joker is thriftiest senator, CoA says

By ROLLY T. CARANDANG
January 4, 2011, 6:57pm

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit (CoA) released figures Tuesday showing opposition Senator Joker Arroyo as the thriftiest member of the Senate in 2009 and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and then-Senator-now-President Benigno S. Aquino III spending the most on their offices.

Arroyo maintained his being the “Scrooge of Congress” among the 23 senators in 2009 in the disbursements of office expenditures, including their staff salaries and benefits, according to the CoA report.

Arroyo, for the 19th straight year, was the thriftiest senator who spent only about P2.264 million in salaries and benefits for his staff in 2009.

Arroyo’s expenditures were way below the P11 million cashed out by then Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Aquino.

The CoA report listed the top five spenders on salaries and benefits of their staff as follows: Estrada, P11.868-million; Aquino, P11.310 million; Sen. Gregorio Honasan, P10.545; Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla, P10.270; and Sen. Antonio Trillanes,P9.698-million Arroyo’s frugality was known even when he was in the Lower House where he had no staff, except for a driver and a utility man.

Even when he was elected as Senator in 2001, he maintains a skeletal staff of three persons only up to this day.

The CoA report showed that the itemized list of expenses of the 23 senators for 2009 totaled to P433,382,584 or a median of P18,842,719.48 for each senator.

The COA report showed that Arroyo spent P14,611,455.95 or P4,231,264.53 below the median, the thriftiest senator while Estrada spent the most at P21,799,573.90 or P2,956,854.42.

Estrada spent P7,188,118.95 or about 50 percent more than Arroyo.

Estrada was followed in the highest spenders category by Senators Gregorio Honasan (P21,649,606.67), then Senator now President Aquino (P21,552,295.67) and recently released former Magdalo leader and Sen. Antonio Trillanes ( P21,136,792.45), Bong Revilla (P21,046,876.06) and Francis Pangilinan (P20,720,010.09).

In the so-called P19-million club were Senators Alan Cayetano (P19.337-M), now Rep Rodolfo Biazon (P19.407-M); and Pia Cayetano (P19.579-M).

In the “kuripot” category, Arroyo was followed by then Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr, who spent P15,178,602.28. Pimentel also placed second to Arroyo in the 2008 frugality derby.

Since Arroyo joined the government in 1986 after EDSA as the first executive secretary up to the present, the senator said he has never travelled abroad using government money.

Senator Arroyo had chaired the powerful Blue Ribbon Committee, the Public Services Committee and the Justice and Human Rights Committee in the 12th and 13th Congress.

But the Senator opted not to chair any committee in the 14th and the present 15th Congress.

Surprisingly, some senior senators noted how Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV spent his budget when he was detained at Camp Crame until a week ago. He spent P21.136-million, or a whopping P57,909.02 each day for various expenses in his office.

In 2008, he also spent P17.2-million or about P47,000 a day while in detention.

In the lower median category of P16-million and P17-million in expenses, the senators from the least spenders to the higher spenders are Edgardo Angara at P16,421,151.05, Loren Legarda (P17,276.427.28), Panfilo Lacson (P17,516,733.88) and Mar Roxas (P17,673,348,30).

Still in the median list of P18-million expenses are Jamby Madrigal (P18,261,678.82), Richard Gordon (P18,322,650.14), Manny Villar (P18,343,298.25), Lito Lapid (P18,395,961), Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (P18,409,189.82), Chiz Escudero (P 18,705,625), and Miriam Defensor Santiago (P18,759,403.69).

On the expenses of local travel of their staff, Sen Legarda topped the list spending about P4.5-million.

She was followed by Villar with P3.3 milion, Honasan P3.29-million, Pangilinan is P2.57-million and Sen Allan Peter Cayetano with P2.49-million.

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Comments
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 01:42 � bullish delights

Just wondering on how the good senator champion of good government spent this much. cna he show to us how wisely he spent that amount.Just curious!!!