MJ is richest in House Millionaires’ Row

Controversial Manila Rep. Mario Batacan Crespo, better known as Mark Jimenez, is the country’s richest congressman. He is worth P355.9 million.

In his statement of assets and liabilities filed with the House of Representatives, he declared assets worth P435.9 million and liabilities amounting to P80 million.

There are only four non-millionaires among the more than 200 members of the present House, fewer than those in the last Congress.

One of the four is Saturnino "Satur" Ocampo of the leftist party-list group Bayan Muna. He declared assets worth P723,220 with no liabilities.

The other poor congressmen are Gregorio Ipong of North Cotabato, who has a net worth of P874,750, Fausto Seachon Jr. of Masbate (P577,912.45) and Manuel Zamora of Compostela Valley (P534,530).

Jimenez, who represents Manila’s sixth district, is facing extradition to the United States on mail fraud, tax evasion, illegal election campaign contributions, and other charges.

The neophyte Manila congressman was a friend of ousted President Joseph Estrada, who once described him as a "corporate genius."

He is believed to have arranged the takeover by Hong Kong’s Metro Pacific Group of telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and the use of Social Security System and Government Service Insurance System funds in such private transactions as the purchase by Equitable of PCIBank.

In an affidavit, he claimed that he handed hundreds of millions of pesos to Estrada as commissions from the transactions he was involved in.

The second richest House member is minority member Cynthia Villar of Las Piñas, wife of Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. She is worth P331.5 million with no liabilities.

She is more than 30 times richer than the leader of the minority, Carlos Padilla of Nueva Vizcaya, who declared his assets at P11.6 million and liabilities at P2 million, for a net worth of P9.6 million.

Villar is followed by Augusto Syjuco Jr. of Iloilo, who declared assets of P267.1 million and liabilities of P18.6 million for a net worth of P248.5 million.

In fourth slot is Vicente Sandoval of Palawan, worth P240.5 million with no liabilities. His son Federico II, who represents Navotas-Malabon, is worth P31.7 million.

In fifth place is Abdullah Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte, who has assets of P154.3 million and liabilities of P47 million, for a net worth of P107.3 million.

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. valued his assets at P51.9 million. He has liabilities amounting to P161,900 for a net worth of P51.7 million.

Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II has assets of P12.1 million, liabilities of P2.9 million and a net worth of P9.2 million.

Assistant Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano is richer than his immediate boss by about P1 million. He has assets of P13.9 million and liabilities of P3 million, for a net worth of P10.9 million.

Other congressmen in the wealthiest 20 are Rafael Nantes of Quezon (P105.5 million net worth), Jack Enrile of Cagayan (P92.2 million), Mark Cojuangco of Pangasinan, a son of businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. (P85 million), Ismael Mathay III of Quezon City (P84 million), Joey Hizon of Manila (P78.4 million);

Gilberto Teodoro Jr. of Tarlac (P74.5 million), Roque Ablan Jr. of Ilocos Norte (P73.3 million), Teodoro Locsin Jr. of Makati, who is also publisher of Today newspaper and TV talk show host (P73 million with no liabilities), Rodolfo Plaza of Agusan del Sur (P70.1 million);

Antonino Roman of Bataan (P64.7 million), Oscar Garin of Iloilo (P64.6 million), Juan Pablo Bondoc of Pampanga (P63.5 million), Victoria Reyes of Batangas (P53.3 million), and Erwin Chiongbian of Sarangani (P50.3 million).

Another Cojuangco son, Carlos of Negros Occidental, is worth only a fraction of the wealth of his elder brother Mark. The younger Cojuangco has assets of P9.7 million and liabilities of P6.6 million, for a net worth of P3.1 million.

Imee Marcos of Ilocos Norte, a daughter of the late President Marcos, is worth P8 million with no liabilities. There is, however, a footnote in her asset declaration that says her wealth does not include an indeterminate amount from the Marcos family wealth that is under government sequestration and litigation.

Benigno Aquino III of Tarlac, only son of former President Corazon Aquino, is worth about P10.4 million, less liabilities of P38,991.

Sherwin Gatchalian of Valenzuela, a son of Estrada crony William Gatchalian, has assets of P140.7 million. However, he has liabilities of P105.7 million, for a net worth of P35 million.