The Top 10 Lists

According to Senator Meriam Defensor-Santiago, each senator receives PHP 43,000 as their base salary (staff salary not included) monthly. Tax payer’s money also shoulders their travel allowance for their official trips within and outside the country. They also decide where to put and how to spend their discretionary fund (pork barrel), meaning that they can do whatever the heck they want with it.

If you are planning to run for senate, here are the list of top ten senators you wanna rub elbows with.

10. Sen. Edgardo Angara (PHP 44,104,997)

 
Edgardo J. Angara, first elected in 1987, is the longest serving Senator in the post-EDSA Senate and considered one of the best legislators in contemporary history.

The gentleman from Aurora began his political career when he was elected as one of the youngest delegates to the 1971 Constitutional Convention. A year later he founded what would become one of the country’s top law firms, ACCRA.

It was his tenure as President of University of the Philippines from 1981-1987 where he made his mark and rose to national prominence. Angara gained the respect of the academe for his professionalism and determination to make the state university attain its true status as the premiere educational center in the country.

9. Sen. Loren Lagarda (PHP 45,990,565)

  
  
LOREN BAUTISTA LEGARDA is the only daughter of Antonio Cabrera Legarda of San Pablo, Laguna and Manila, and the late Bessie Gella Bautista of Antique and Malabon. She is the granddaughter of one of the late pillars of Philippine journalism, Jose P. Bautista, editor-in-chief of the pre-Martial Law Manila Times.

EDUCATION. An achiever all her life, Loren completed her primary and secondary schooling at the Assumption with honors. She obtained a degree in broadcast communication, cum laude, from the University of the Philippines, the country’s premier university. While working as a journalist, Loren pursued further studies at the National Defense College of the Philippines, where she obtained a degree in national security administration and graduated at the top of her class, receiving gold medals for both Academic Excellence and Best Thesis. Loren is now a reserve officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

8. Sen. Pia Cayetano (PHP 76,397,210)

 
Senator Pia S. Cayetano is the youngest elected female senator in the history of the Republic of the Philippines. She is a mother of two, a lawyer, successful entrepreneur and triathlete. Prior to entering politics, she was actively involved in various advocacies on health, children's rights and women empowerment.

Cayetano ran for the senate in 2004 in a bid to continue the legacy of her father, the late Senator Compañero Rene L. Cayetano. She won and even bagged the top sixth slot, which was quite a feat for a political neophyte.

In the 13th Congress, Senator Pia stood as the Senate's Assistant Majority Floor Leader and Chairperson of the Committees on Health and Demography and Environment and Natural Resources. She also co-chaired the Joint Congressional Oversight Committees on the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.

7. Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada (PHP 83,154,561)

 
As the eldest son of President Joseph Marcelo Ejercito Estrada and Senator Luisa Pimentel-Ejercito Estrada, it is not surprising that like his parents, the Filipino masses have a special place in the heart of Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, along with siblings, Jacqueline Ejercito-Lopez and Jude Ejercito.

In 1989, he was married to Ma. Presentacion "Precy" Vitug-Ejercito whom he was blessed with four wonderful and beautiful children, namely, Janella Marie, Joseph Luis Manuel, Julian Emilio and baby Julienne.

Having witnessed how his famous and well-loved father, former Mayor of the historical town of San Juan has satisfactorily governed said locality over a progressive nineteen year period (1967-1986), Jinggoy knows that he is bound to follow the footsteps that his father has carved in both public service and show business arena.

6. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago (PHP 89,386,749)

 
Miriam Defensor Santiago became globally famous with her courageous and brilliant crusade against corruption in the Philippines. As a result, at 43, she was named Laureate of the Asian Nobel Prize, known as the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service. She was cited "for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a graft-ridden government agency."

Miriam was widely featured in the international press because of her charisma, flamboyant personality, and her signature witticisms, making her good copy. In 1997, the Australian magazine named her one of "The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World." In later years, Miriam was keynote speaker of the international anticorruption conference in Sydney, Australia. As senator, she sponsored and secured ratification by the Philippine Senate of the UN Convention Against Corruption.

5. Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile (PHP 98,840,037)

 
Senate President JUAN PONCE ENRILE began his career in public service in 1966 when he joined the Executive Branch of government as Undersecretary of the Department of Finance. Shortly thereafter, he was made Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Philippine National Bank. Then he was designated as a concurrent Acting Head of the Insurance Commission. He also served as Acting Commissioner of Customs until December 1968. While he was in the Finance Department, he was appointed Acting Secretary of Finance and concurrent Chairman of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of the Philippines.

In December 1968, in recognition of his integrity and reputation held before the Philippine Bar, Juan Ponce Enrile was appointed Secretary of Justice where he served until February 9, 1970. The next day, he was appointed Secretary of National Defense until August 1971 when he resigned to run for the Philippine Senate. He was re-appointed Secretary of Defense in January 1972.

In 1986, he led the historic EDSA People Power Revolution that served as inspiration for subsequent bloodless revolutions all over the world. Together with idealistic members of the military and with the support of the Catholic church, people flocked to EDSA in solidarity to the man and his vision of restoring democracy to the nation.

4. Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas (PHP 110,634,079)

 
'Mr. Palengke' is Senator MAR Roxas, the son of the illustrious Senator Gerry Roxas, and the grandson of the venerable President Manuel Roxas whose public service careers have greatly benefited the country. MAR graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1974 and the Wharton School of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. Before entering public service, MAR worked as an investment banker, mobilizing venture capital funds for Small and Medium Enterprises.

MAR's public service life began in the House of Representatives in 1993. After his congressional stint, he was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry; and then in 2004, he was elected to the Senate with a staggering 20 million votes, the largest ever obtained by a candidate in any Philippine election.

Owing to his record of accomplishments as a public servant and political leader, the international community described MAR as "one of the young leaders in politics and business who will bring Asia and the Pacific to the forefront of world affairs." At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, MAR was named as "one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow who is expected to shape the future." Recently, the Singapore Government has awarded him as the 16th Lee Kuan Yew Fellow.

3. Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla (PHP 117,968,000)

 
Jose Marie Mortel Bautista, now Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., is one of the coveted few who has attained exemplary accomplishments in his own chosen endeavor and made outstanding contributions to the plight of the small man. Born on September 25, 1966 in Manila to Jose Bautista Sr. and Azucena Mortel, he obtained his elementary education at the Jesus Good Shepherd School in Imus, Cavite in 1977. He then went to High School at Fairfax High School n Los Angeles, California, United States. His early engagement in a lucrative movie career, however, following the footsteps of his legendary film star father,”Nardong Putik’” restrained nominee’s pursuit of a college degree thus opting for self-education outside the classroom. He married a fellow film star, Jesusa Victoria Hernandez popularly known as Lani Mercado, with whom he is blessed with six wonderful children. The fully bloomed careers of father and son surged into immense popularity, widely idolized nationwide and their innate element of human attachment to common people propelled their successful entry to the political realm. His father who has adopted the film name, “Ramon Revilla” was elected Member of the Philippine Senate for two consecutive terms, 1992-1998 and 1998-2004, and sits as the Chairman of the Philippine Reclamation Authority since 2004. Nominee who has adopted the film name Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., followed suit. He was elected in the Province of Cavite as the youngest Vice Governor in 1995 and the youngest Governor in 1998. He served as Chairman of the Videogram Regulatory Board from 2001 to 2004. Finally, he was elected the youngest Member of the Philippine Senate in 2004 for a six-year term until 2010, where he is the Chairman of three Committees, namely Public Works, Public Information and Mass Media and the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the Optical Media Board.

2. Sen. Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Mardrigal (PHP 146,483,524)

 
One of the leaders of the crusade against government corruption and a staunch promoter of social reforms in the Philippines is Maria Ana Consuelo Abad Santos Madrigal.

She is from a family of nation-builders and public servants. She is the granddaughter of a national hero and martyr, Supreme Court Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos. Her granduncle, Assemblyman Pedro Abad Santos, was the father and founder of the Socialist Party of the Philippines and a well-known defender of the poor and the oppressed. Her paternal grandfather is Senator Vicente Madrigal, a businessman., industrialist, and one of the Philippine Republic's elected senators in 1949.

Her aunt, Senator Pacita Madrigal-Gonzales-a senator during the Quezon and Magsaysay administrations-was the first Administrator of the Social Welfare Administration, the predecessor of today's Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

1. Sen. Manny Villar (PHP 1,041,383.946)

  
Manny Villar was born to humble beginnings in Moriones, Tondo, Manila. His father, Manuel Montalban Villar, Sr., hailed from Cabatuan, Iloilo and his mother Curita Bamba came from Orani, Bataan.

At an early age, he helped his mother sell seafood at the Divisoria market in order to support his siblings and himself to school. With the burning desire for a better future and strong determination to improve his family’s lives, Manny finished his studies at the University of the Philippines (UP) where he earned his Bachelor’s and Masters’ degrees in Business Administration.

He started his professional career as an accountant and financial analyst for prominent corporations before venturing into his own business.

Armed with an initial capital of only P10,000 and a solid determination to succeed, Manny went on to establish the largest homebuilding company in the country today.

Manny Villar received several awards including the Ten Outstanding Young Men in 1986, Agora Award for Marketing Management in 1989, Most Outstanding CPA by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 1990, and Most Outstanding UP Alumnus in 1991. In 2004, Manny Villar was named the Most Distinguished Alumnus—the highest recognition given by the University of the Philippines — for his exemplary public service and achievements.