8 senators spend more than P100 million each in 2020

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit (COA) posted for the first time on its website a breakdown of the total expenses incurred by senators the past year. 

The report, released Tuesday, December 14, shows the 24 senators having spent a combined P2.256 billion in 2020. State auditors released the list without any finding of irregularities.

The top spenders were eight senators who spent more than P100 million each: 

• Ralph Recto (Senate President Pro Tempore) – P116.824 million
• Vicente Sotto III (Senate President) – P107.692 million   
• Sherwin Gatchalian – P104.908 million
• Ronaldo dela Rosa – P104.35 million
• Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan – P104.189 million
• Manny Pacquiao – P103.84 million
• Juan Miguel Zubiri – P103.225 million
• Grace Poe-Llamanzares – P100.448 million

The amounts represented their salaries, extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses, local and foreign travels of the senators and staff, staff salaries and benefits, consultancy fees, vehicles and equipment rental, meetings and conferences, and maintenance and operating expenses.

Senator Bong Go and Minority Leader Franklin Drilon spent the least, while the rest of the senators had the following total expenses in  2020: 

• Leila de Lima – P97.853 million
• Ramon Revilla Jr. – P96.961 million
• Aquilino Pimentel III – P96.859 million
• Richard Gordon – P95.587 million
• Nancy Binay – P95.405 million
• Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel – P94.471 million
• Manuel Lapid – P93.694 million
• Imee Marcos – P92.802 million
• Panfilo Lacson  – P90.217 million
• Juan Edgardo Angara – P89.182 million
• Francis Tolentino – P85.899 million
• Pia Cayetano – P84.763 million
• Joel Villanueva – P81.852 million
• Cynthia Villar – P75.658 million
• Franklin Drilon – P73.797 million
• Bong Go – P65.496 million   

Here are the senators’ combined totals for the different types of expenses: 

• Salaries – P78.501 million
• Extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses – P267.248 million
• Local travel – P9.934 million
• Foreign travels – P1.425 million
• Professional and consultancy expenses – P184.057 million 
• Rental of equipment and motor vehicles – P24.938 million

– Rappler.com