Mark Villar, Alfonso Cusi remain richest in Cabinet

MANILA, Philippines — Public Works Secretary Mark Villar and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi remained the richest Cabinet members last year, with both officials declaring net worths of more than P1 billion, their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) showed. 

Villar, whose family has interests in real estate and shopping malls, is the richest Cabinet member with a net worth of P1.408 billion, slightly higher than the P1.407 billion he reported in 2017.

Villar declared personal properties worth P1.23 billion and real properties with a total value of P179.83 million. The public works chief incurred P1.5 million in liabilities. 

Cusi’s net worth, meanwhile, increased to P1.385 billion in 2018 from P1.356 billion two years ago. Cash placements, jewelries, furniture and fixtures accounted for the bulk of the energy chief’s assets with a total value of P1.205 billion.

Cusi also declared real properties in parts of Metro Manila, Oriental Mindoro, Mandaue City and business interests in six companies. He did not incur liabilities last year.

All the other Cabinet members whose 2018 SALNs were available are millionaires. 

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, whose family runs the Marco Polo hotel chain, declared a net worth of P366.78 million, higher by more than P28 million than the P338.12 million he reported two years ago.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade declared a net worth of P306.35 million while Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, whose wife Alelee is a member of the Aguilar political clan of Las Piñas, reported a net worth of P160.4 million.  

Andanar was followed by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III with a net worth of P120.08 million; Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, P114.1 million and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., P106.52 million.

Presidential spokesman and chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo, often teased by President Duterte over his unique fashion sense, reported a net worth of P72.9 million, slightly higher compared to the P71.5 million he declared in 2017. 

Isidro Lapeña, a former customs commissioner who was named Technical Education and Skills Development Authority chief amid a shabu smuggling controversy, declared a net worth of P70.74 million.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea’s net worth rose to P54.65 million last year from P51.8 million in 2017, while that of Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez dipped to P48.8 million in 2018 from P49.8 million two years ago.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Puyat reported a net worth of P45.29 million in 2018, while Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol declared a net worth of P28.53 million during the same period. 

Piñol was followed by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., P25.745 million; presidential adviser on the peace process Carlito Galvez Jr., P23.38 million; Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista, P20.01 million; Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, P16.38 million; Secretary to the Cabinet Karlo Nograles, P12.1 million and presidential legislative liaison office chief Adelino Sitoy, P10.04 million.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones reported a net worth of P9.61 million in 2018 while Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana declared a net worth of P8.76 million.

Acting Information and Communications Technology Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. had a net worth of P7.95 million last year.

Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña was the highest paid Cabinet official in 2018, but he had the lowest net worth among those whose SALNs were available. His net worth went down to P5.03 million last year from P7.56 million in 2017.

The SALNs of Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones, budget department officer-in-charge Janet Abuel, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, housing chief Eduardo del Rosario, Commission on Higher Education chairman Prospero de Vera III and Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Danilo Lim were not yet available. 

The STAR obtained copies of the SALNs of most of the members of the Duterte Cabinet through a freedom of information request.