Only 4 of 238 House members are non-millionaires

MANILA, Philippines - Except for the 32 new lawmakers, only four out of the 238 members of the House of Representatives are non-millionaires. The rest are multi-millionaires, with Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar joining the Billionaires Club.

Of the four, 30-year-old Bohol Rep. Adam Relson Jala – a neophyte and a new lawyer – was the only administration lawmaker to join the ranks of non-millionaire opposition Reps. Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casiño of Bayan Muna and Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis.

Ocampo ranked 235th with P895,145 in assets with no liabilities; followed by Jala, P782,000 with no liabilities; Casiño with P118,900; and Mariano with only P55,501 in assets, and no liabilities.

Other militant lawmakers from the opposition bloc have made it to millionaires’ row, notably Gabriela party-list Reps. Liza Maza (P1.5 million) and Luzviminda Ilagan (P4.6 million), and Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros who is worth P6.2 million.

The youngest House member, 27-year-old Sharee Ann Tan of Western Samar, is worth P2.1 million. The oldest legislator, 83-year-old Rep. Pablo Garcia of Cebu, has P31.5 million in assets with no liabilities.

Compostela Valley Rep. Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora, who famously rode his bicycle that carried a special “8” protocol plate and who listed farming as his profession, is worth P9.7 million. He authored bills on the lemon law, or against carmakers who issue defective cars.

Thirty-five-year-old lawyer Abigail Binay of Makati City, daughter of Mayor Jejomar Binay, has a net worth of P29.4 million. 

It was reported earlier that the two lawmaker-sons of President Arroyo have also grown richer, although none of them were in the Top 10, which was led by Hall of Famer Villar, who has held the distinction of being the “richest” House member for nine long years.

As per the statement of assets and liabilities provided by the House of Representatives, Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo’s P96.7-million net worth in 2007 rose by P2.5 million in 2008, or P99.2 million.

So did neophyte Rep. Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo of Camarines Sur whose P83.7 million in 2007 increased by P5.3 million the following year, or P89 million.

Only the net worth of President Arroyo’s brother-in-law, Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo, has dropped, from P145.8 million in 2007 to P140.3 million in 2008, or a decrease of P5.5 million.

A fourth Arroyo, Ma. Lourdes Arroyo, younger sister of First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, is a representative of party-list Kasangga. She, along with 31 other new sectoral representatives, have not filed their SALN yet since they came in only last April.