MANILA, Philippines - Antonio Trillanes IV was the biggest spender among senators in 2011, a Commission of Audit (COA) report showed.
Trillanes spent P54.96 million that included P27.62 million for office expenses and P27.34 million for expenses incurred while serving as chairman of several Senate committees.
The itemized list of expenses incurred by each senator in 2011 showed that Trillanes spent P27.62 million for office operations that included P16.76 million for the salaries and benefits of his staff, P6.74 million for maintenance and other expenses, and P77,701 for capital outlay.
A separate report that detailed the expenses of Senate committees also showed that Trillanes incurred expenses for his committees totaling to P27.34 million.
The Senate had recently submitted to the COA the liquidation report and other documents of the expenses of the senators that covered the period January to Dec. 31, 2011.
“He (Trillanes) is the biggest spender in 2011. His expenses reached to almost P 55 million, when other senators received and spent an average of P40 million-plus each in the same year,†a source told The STAR.
Trillanes chairs the Senate committees on amateur sports competitiveness, and on civil service and government reorganization.
There are 39 permanent committees in the Senate, which is different from the 35 congressional ad hoc or oversight committees that also get separate budgets ranging from P5 million to as much as P37 million a year.
Whether a senator gets one or many regular committees, he or she would have the same budget. It is a different case for those who handle the oversight committees, Senate auditors and budget officers explained.
Top spenders
After Trillanes, Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada was second with P52.7 million that included P25.2 million in office expenses and P27.5 million for his committee chairmanships.
Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. came in third with P49.82 million that included P22.88 million in office expenses and P26.94 million for committee expenses.
Sen. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. was fourth highest spender with P49.2 million including P24.6 million for office expenses and P24.6 million for committee expenses.
From number 20 in the list when he entered office in 2010, Marcos was the fourth biggest spender in 2011.
In fifth spot was Sen. Francis Escudero with P48.6 million including P22.4 million for office expenses and P26.2 million for committees.
Sen. Gregorio Honasan had total expenses worth P47.1 million that included P21 million office expenses and P26.21 million on committees.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan ranked 7th in terms of expenses with P46.87 million, including P25.2 million for office expenses and P21.66 million spent on committees.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III spent P46 million with P21 million office expenses and P25 million for committees.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s expenses reached P46.58 million, with P22.8 million used for his office and P23.78 million for committees.
State auditors explained that Enrile and other officers such as the Senate president pro-tempore, majority and minority leaders have higher budget, being officers of the Senate.
Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano spent P44.8 million including P22.2 million for his office and P22.5 million for his committees.
Senator Loren Legarda (P44.12 million in office and committee expenses), Lito Lapid (P43.5 million), Ralph Recto (42.3 million), Pia Cayetano (P42.03million), Edgardo Angara, Teofisto Guingona III and Miriam Defensor-Santiago incurred about P41 million each, followed by Senators Sergio Osmeña III and Panfilo Lacson with P37 million each.
Senators Franklin Drilon, Joker Arroyo and Aquilino Pimentel III’s office and committee expenses ranged from P20 million to P35 million.
Drilon’s total expenses totaled P34.9 million, including P18.2 million for office expenses and P16.7 million for his committees.
Arroyo incurred P17.11 million for his office expenses and P14.7 million as committee expenses.
Pimentel, on the other hand, spent only P9 million on his office and nearly P11 million on his committees.
Former Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who resigned from the Senate in 2011, incurred P11.12 million in office expenses and P12.83 million on committees or a total of P23.9 million. With Michael Punongbayan