September 12, 2014 · Posted in: Civil Society, Congress Watch, General, Governance, In the News, Money Politics, Noynoy Watch
The Binay probers, by the numbers
From the PCIJ Files: SENATORS ALAN PETER CAYETANO, AQUILINO PIMENTEL III,
AND ANTONIO TRILLANES IV
IN THIS series, we share with you PCIJ’s databases on the wealth, campaign contributions and spending, and social network of elected government officials of the Philippines.
Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Aquilino Martin Pimentel, and Antonio Trillanes IV — all political allies of the Liberal Party coalition — have figured prominently in a Senate subcommittee investigation into the alleged receipt of kickbacks from public contracts by Vice-President Jejomar Binay (See our report Binay, by the Numbers).
On the Public Profiles section of PCIJ’s Money Politics Online website, official asset records show that Cayetano’s net worth whas risen by nearly half in 2011 to P23.2 million, from only P15.9 million in 2010.
Cayetano’s career in politics has spanned two decades. He started out as councilor in his family’s bailiwick of Taguig City in 1992, became vice mayor in 1995, and won three consecutive terms as congressman of Pateros City from 1998 to 2007. Cayetano was elected senator in 2007 and ran for re-election in May 2013.
Click the photo to go to the Public Profiles page of Sen. Cayetano.
SENATOR ALLAN PETER S. CAYETANO Photo from senate.gov.ph
Senator Pimentel, on the other hand, has so far filed two Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) since he assumed office as senator. His net worth stood at P17.67 million as of August 2011; it dropped to P17.08 million in his December 2011 SALN.
In August 2011, Aquilino Martin ‘Koko’ L. Pimentel III became the 12th senator of the 15th Congress, after winning an electoral protest that he filed in May 2007 before the Senate Electoral Tribunal against then sitting senator Miguel Zubiri. The tribunal’s recount established that Pimentel got 257,000 more votes than Zubiri in the 2007 elections.
From 1995 to 1998, Pimentel served as commissioner for Mindanao of the National Youth Commission, under then President Joseph Estrada. Pimentel has practiced law and taught at the Far Eastern University, De La Salle University, and the University of the East.
Click on the photo to go the Public Profiles page of Sen. Pimentel.
SEN. AQUILINO PIMENTEL | Photo from senate.gov.ph
Former coup plotter and ex-soldier Antonio Trillanes IV declared minimal gains in net worth tfrom 2007 to 2011.His liabilities, however, soared from zero in 2007 to P1.6 million in 2009 and then to P6.8 million in 2011. His net worth, as of his latest SALN, stands at P3.9 million, making him the poorest – in terms of declared wealth — of the 23 incumbent senators of the 16th Congress.
He is known as one of the leaders of the group of soldiers that staged the Oakwood Mutiny in July 2003 and the Peninsula Manila siege in November 2007.
Trillanes ran for senator in the May 2007 elections and won despite being detained in Camp Crame. His petition for provisional release was later granted by the court after President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III issued Proclamation No. 75 that granted amnesty to military officers involved in coup attempts during the Arroyo administration.
Click on the photo to go the Public Profiles page of Sen. Trillanes.
SEN. ANTONIO TRILLANES IV | Photo from senate.gov.ph
1 Response to The Binay probers, by the numbers
Azrael
October 27th, 2014 at 11:23 am
Filipinos are spiritually and politically weak when dealing with evil such as this. The pragmatic solution is simple: Public Execution. If Philippine politicians caught stealing more than ?1M were simply executed in public, others will not do it. Problem is, Filipinos don’t have the balls to shoot a family member or a friend accused of doing such evil. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be talking about problems like this. The real problem is not Filipinos per se, the real problem is the Filipino cultural norm of “kapatiran”, “kapamilya”, “kabarkada”, and “utang na loob”. If only Filipinos strived to be wise and do the right thing instead of worrying what friends and family would say, the Philippines would be a better place. Leaders of mainstream religions also add to the problem because they would say that my comment here is wrong and, sadly, Filipinos who fear for their souls would blindly believe what they say. The Philippines would have been better off with a socialist government like PRC that instantly deals with the problem pragmatically. Not that I care about PRC, but I agree that religion is poison. Every weekend when parents bring their children to Church slowly adds to their inability to solve this problem when they grow up. Most corrupt politicians are backed up by mainstream religions. Religion and politics enslaves us. I believe in freedom, but to make the right decision, you would have to put aside family, friends, religion, and politics. Otherwise, we remain slaves to ignorance and mediocrity.