Here are the biggest spenders in Congress in 2020, according to COA
MANILA, Philippines (Updated December 17, 2021, 6:49 p.m.) — Leaders in both houses of Congress were the top spenders in the legislature in 2020, according to an itemized list of lawmakers’ expenses in the first year of the pandemic released by the Commission on Audit.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto was again the biggest spender in the upper chamber, having spent P116.82 million for various expenses, including salaries and benefits, travel, meetings and conferences, consultants, supplies and materials and rental of motor vehicles and equipment.
Aside from Recto, seven other senators spent more than P100,000 last year. These are Senate President Vicente Sotto III (P107.69 million) and Sens. Sherwin Gatchalian (P104.91 million), Ronald dela Rosa (P104.35 million), Francis Pangilinan (P104.19 million), Manny Pacquiao (P103.84 million), Migz Zubiri (P103.22 million), and Grace Poe (P100.45 million).
Meanwhile, Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco (Marinduque), who was only elected speaker in October 2020, is again the top spender in the House of Representatives, with P35.78 million in expenses for salaries, contractual consultants, travel, communication, representation and public affairs.
In second place is his one-time rival Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, who spent P35.04 million in 2020 when he sat as House speaker until he was kicked out in a coup and replaced by Velasco in October of the same year.
Following Cayetano are Valenzuela Rep. Wes Gatchalian (P32.58 million), Albay Rep. Joey Salceda (P32.49 million), House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez (P32.09 million) and Bukidnon Rep. Maria Lourdes Acosta-Alba (P31.69 million).
That legislative leaders emerged as top spenders is not surprising, as they are given additional funding for holding posts in Congress.
Expenses for travel, consultants
In total, the government spent P10.2 billion for members of Congress in 2020, according to the COA, which did not raise any issues or concerns with the spending of lawmakers.
Bulk of the senators' expenses were for salaries and benefits of their staff amounting to P1.05 billion, while most of House members’ expenses went to their basic salary amounting to P1.07 billion.
While travel was largely halted in 2020 due to the pandemic, lawmakers still logged expenses for this. Most of their travels were done locally, but Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Sens. Nancy Binay and Lito Lapid, and Rep. Amihilda Sangcopan (Amin party-list) all recorded expenses for foreign travel.
In a statement sent to Philstar.com, Sangcopan said her travel abroad happened in February 2020, well before travel restrictions were in place to curb the spread of the virus.
She added that this trip to deliver a keynote address at an event by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Yusof Ishak Institute was originally scheduled on January 2020, but she opted to postpone this as the Taal Volcano erupted.
In the Senate, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III spent the most on travel at nearly P4.6 million, while 59 House members spent the most on travel in the House at roughly P1.54 million. These House lawmakers spent this on consultative local travel alone.
Meanwhile, Pangilinan spent the most on consultants in the Senate with P11.81 million, while Cayetano spent the most on them in the House with P11.14 million.
Editor's note: This story first identified Rep. Sangcopan as the top spender on travel in the House of Representatives. This has been corrected to reflect that 59 House lawmakers, not including her, actually spent the most on travel.
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