Who is next Senate Scrooge?

MANILA, Philippines - With Joker Arroyo no longer a member of the Senate, who will inherit the title of Congress’ Ebenezer Scrooge?

This question cropped up yesterday anew as the veteran lawmaker and human rights lawyer – for the 22nd time – was adjudged as the senator with the least expenses in 2013.

Arroyo, who did not avail himself of his pork barrel allocations while at the Senate, has been the holder of Scrooge of the Year since he was Makati congressman.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III has always been close to Arroyo at the list of lowest spenders at the Senate, settling for second or third every year.

Arroyo again bested all his colleagues as the thriftiest, a feat that was reflected in the “Itemized List of Amounts Paid to and Expenses” incurred by each senator from Jan. 1 to Dec. 1, 2013 as audited and verified correct by the Commission on Audit (COA), released and published in newspapers in recent months.

A comparative analysis was separately made for those who served only six months in 2013 and a separate list for senators who served the full year.

The list of senators whose terms ended on June 30, 2013 were Arroyo, Edgardo Angara, Panfilo Lacson; Francis Pangilinan and Manuel Villar.

The lawmakers whose terms began on July 1, 2013 are Sens. Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV; Nancy Binay, Joseph Victor Ejercito; Grace Poe-Llamanzares and Cynthia Villar.

In descending order from the thriftiest to the most spendthrift were Arroyo at P8,435,064 and Manny Villar with P19,479,815; Binay (P20,030,034);

Lacson (P24,581,841); Poe (P24,936,119); Edgardo Angara, (P26,896,484); Bam Aquino (P28,437,762), Pangilinan (P28,493,946); Ejercito (P30,196,091); Cynthia Villar (P32,159,124); and Sonny Angara, (P32,827,678).

Their total expenses were pegged at P276,470,958 or a median of P 25,133,723.

As per COA report, Arroyo spent only P8,435,064 or just one third of the median.

The two Angaras, Edgardo the father, and son Sonny – the topnotch spendthrift – were both above the median. Manny Villar is the second thriftiest but wife Cynthia is the second most spendthrift. Nancy Binay is the third thriftiest.

Lacson and Grace Poe were a notch below the median and fall among the thriftier.

Ejercito, Pangilinan and the President’s cousin, Bam Aquino, were among the high rollers.

Osmeña was the thriftiest with expenses of P30,498,048. Those who spent less than the median of P51,902,529 and were low spenders were Sens. Teofisto Guingona III (P35,495,513); Miriam Defensor Santiago (P36,827,348); Pia Cayetano (P42,815,052); Franklin Drilon (P43,706,599); Alan Peter Cayetano (P44,551,676); Lito Lapid (P46,758,049) and Loren Legarda (P49,085,942).

The high rollers, starting from the highest spenders, included Sens. Juan Ponce Enrile (P73,891,993) and Jinggoy Estrada (P72,712,612).

Third and fourth high rollers are Sonny Trillanes (P68,951,192) and Aquilino Pimentel III (P61,618,647).