‘Poor’ prosecutors don’t have P1-M

MANILA, Philippines – Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares and Akbyan Rep. Kaka Bag-ao, members of the prosecution team against Chief Justice Renato Corona, joined a number of lawmakers who volunteered the publication of their Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

Their SALNs show that they have net worths that are less than P1-million.

P50K old car

Colmenares has total assets worth about P1-million and loans worth P340,000. His net worth is about P700,000. Rankings in previous years put Colmenares among the top 10 poorest representatives.

Colmenares’s major asset is the half-million-peso worth land in Quezon City he acquired in 2000. He also listed among his assets a Toyota Revo and a Nissan Sentra that he acquired for P285,000 and P48,533, respectively. The cars are supposedly second-hand.

He also listed about P200,000 money deposited in various banks.

2010 SALN Neri Colmenares

Bag-ao’s major assets are her land in Misamis Oriental and an unnamed car, which are worth P350,000 each. Including her savings, Bag-ao has total assets worth P790,000. With liabilities worth P78,000, she has a total net worth of P712,000.

SALN of Akbayan Rep Kaka Bag-ao

Other congressmen who volunteered their SALN are their partymates Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño and Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello, who have net worths of P91,000 and P2-million, respectively.

“There is nothing to fear  in being transparent. I challenge other public officials, especially Chief Justice Renato Corona, to do the same,” said Casiño.

The release of their SALNs followed a report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism showing that some of the 188 lawmakers who voted to impeach Chief Justice Renato Corona has not been regularly filing their SALNs as required by law.

One of the 8 articles of impeachment attacks the Chief Justice for failing to divulge his SALN. – Rappler.com