SALN: Del Castillo is richest in SC

MANILA, Philippines - Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo is the richest member of the Supreme Court (SC), based on the statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) of justices for 2012 released yesterday.

Del Castillo’s net worth last year was P109,743,118.28, an increase of nearly P840,000 from P108,904,519.37 in 2011.

He had P110,127,634.66 in total assets and P384,516.38 in total liabilities.

Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, the most junior member of the SC whom President Aquino named last November, had the least net worth for 2012 with P1,674,623.22.

He had P2,333,679.22 in total assets and P659,056 in liabilities. His SALN showed he had no real properties.

The biggest gainers were Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, whose net worth of P18,811,447.87 in 2011 grew to P26,119,275.39 last year, and Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, whose net worth of P22,642,264.73 in the previous year grew to P29,382,037.60 in 2012.

Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno’s SALN showed she had P18,143,104.01 in net worth last year, with P19,155,024.90 in assets and P1,011,920.89 in liabilities.

In 2011, she had P18,029,575.51.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio is the second richest with P83,885,614.57 in net worth for 2012, or an increase of around P4 million from P79,895,025.57 in 2011.

Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes had P76,542,167.31 in net worth last year. In 2011, he had P75,146,199.

Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe had P73,827,435 in net worth in 2012, or an increase of over P5 million from her P67,101,327 net worth in 2011.

In the latest SALNs, Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. had net worth of P8,679,740.49; Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro P8,941,000; Justice Arturo Brion P11,908,742; Justice Roberto Abad P43.4 million; Justice Martin Villarama Jr. P21,911,495.36; Justice Jose Mendoza P29,982,165.66, and Justice Jose Perez P11.76 million.

The SC approved the public release of SALNs of justices for 2012 in their session last June 18 through requests of several media outfits.

The SALNs of the justices were released for the first time after 20 years in August last year, some two months after the SC released guidelines for releasing the SALNs of judges and justices.

The SC made the move after ousted chief justice Renato Corona was removed last May 29 after he was found guilty of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.

During his impeachment trial, it was shown that he did not declare millions worth of properties in his SALN.

Misleading SALNs

Two officials from attached agencies of the Department of Finance (DOF) were found to have given misleading and uncomprehensive details in their SALNs.

The DOF’s Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) said Bureau of Customs attorney II Rene Manuel Ochave and Insurance Commission supervision insurance specialist Mari Ann Osmeña withheld facts of ownership of some properties and businesses in their individual SALNs and provided false data.

Ochave was found to have padded his net worth for each year by using the current fair market value of his real assets instead of the actual acquisition cost as a gauge in assessing the total worth of his property holdings.

Ochave was found to have failed to immediately declare his wife’s property in Sorsogon in his SALN.

In his SALN, Ochave reportedly declared that he acquired a vehicle for P428,800 when in fact it was sold to his wife for P1.072 million.

Osmeña was found to have made several inconsistencies regarding her 1982 house and lot in Pacita Complex, San Pedro, Laguna.

Initially, she reported in her 1994 SALN that she acquired the property through installment since 1982. Records showed that she failed to report the acquisition in her 1982, 1984, 1990, and 1993 SALNs.

In her 2011 SALN, she did not account for any real property at all.

Inconsistencies were also found in the reported acquisition date of the Laguna real property.

In her 2004 to 2007 SALNs, she did not indicate when it was acquired, while in her 2009 SALN, she stated that she held the property in 1989.

A check with the Land Transportation office showed that three vehicles were registered under the name of Osmeña’s spouse, Jesus Mondejar Osmeña – a Toyota Corolla sedan, a Toyota Innova, and a Mitsubishi Lancer. The last two vehicles, with certificates of registration dated Dec. 3, 2008 and April 20, 2010, were not disclosed. – With Zinniade la Peña