ShareThisBy MARIE-ALSIE PENARANDA
QUEZON CITY — Presidential sister, actress and television host Kristina Bernadette C. Aquino was the top individual taxpayer this year for income earned in 2011 in the Philippines after paying P49.9 million in income tax.
Kris, as she is popularly known, topped the country’s wealthiest Filipinos like Henry Sy Sr. and Lucio Tan as listed by the influential Forbes Magazine.
Following Kris in the top 10 taxpayers according to the latest Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) data posted on its website (www.bir.gov.ph) are entrepreneur and Sunpower Philippines vice president Gregory Deane Reichow, who paid P38.196 million, and former Ambassador to the United Nations Lauro Baja Jr. following closely with a tax payment of P34.3 million.
Also in the top 10 of the BIR individual taxpayers’ list are: Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Smart Telecommunications Co., Meralco and Philex Mining Co Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, fourth, paying P26 million; Bank of the Philippine Islands President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Aurelio Montinola, fifth with P24.5 million.
Completing the top 10 list are: Manila Water President Gerardo Ablaza, P22.6 million; Philippe J. Lhuillier, P21.645 million; Victor M. Angeles, P21.20 million; JP Morgan Chase country officer Roberto L. Panlilio, P19.61 million; and GMA Network Chairman Felipe Gozon, P19.6 million.
Billionaire Henry Sy Sr. of SM Megamalls and Banco de Oro and reputed to be country’s richest man by Forbes Magazine, was No. 15, having paid P16.6 million while Lucio Tan, chairman of LT Group consisting of Philippine National Bank, Philippine Airlines and Asia Brewery, among others, was no. 35 after paying P10.8 million.
Henry Sy’s children – Hans Sy is number 22 with payments of P13.4 million and BDO Chairman Teresita Sy Coson paid P8.4 million and is ranked number 83.
Tan paid less than his lawyer Estelito Mendoza, who ranked 14th with tax payment of P 17.63 million.
David Consunji and family, whose net worth was estimated by Forbes at $2.8 billion, ranked 176th, paying P5.9 million in 2011.
However, other tycoons such as Enrique Razon, Jr. ($4.9 billion), Andrew Tan ($3.95 billion), George Ty and family ($2.6 billion), Lucio and Susan Co ($2 billion), Robert Coyiuto, Jr. ($1.6 billion),Tony Tan Caktiong and family ($1.4 billion), Andrew Gotianun and family ($1.2 billion), and Roberto Ongpin ($1.2 billion) were nowhere on the BIR’s list.
Also not in the list are Ayala Corporation’s Fernando Zobel de Ayala and John Gokongwei of Robinsons Malls and Cebu Pacific Airways, among others.
Also in the top 500 individual taxpayers are boxing pound-for-pound king and Saranggani Rep. Emmanuel Manny Pacquiao who paid P6.1 million and ranked 158th, while former President Joseph Estrada ranked 490th as he shelled out P3.5 million.
Menardo G. Jimenez also of GMA Network is no. 77 after he paid P 8,516,876.42
Trailing Kris among showbusiness personalities is TV host and actor Marvic “Vic” Sotto who paid P14.72 million in taxes and ranking 19th. Actor Derek Ramsey ranked 120th, paying P7 million in taxes.
Willie Revillame ranked 181th (P5.8 million), while Ogie Alcasid ranked 184th (P5.8 million). Sharon Cuneta ranked 191st, paying P5.74 million in taxes in 2011 and John Lloyd Cruz ranked 205th, paying P5.4 million in income tax.
Other celebrities in the list are: TV host Joey de Leon (28th, P12.48 million), ABS-CBN president Charo Santos-Concio (33rd, P11.61 million), Solenn Heussaff (99th, P7.79 million), Piolo Pascual (123rd, P6.98 million), Kim Chiu (133rd, P6.71 million), and Ryan Agoncillo (194th, P5.6 million) .
Among members of the Cabinet of President Aquino, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario ranked 118th with P7.1 million in income tax payment in 2011.
Smart Communications was the top corporate taxpayer for 2011, having paid P10.2 billion followed by Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) at P8.3 billion; Shell Philippines Exploration at P6.4 billion; Chevron Malampaya, P6.3 billion; and Nestle Philippines, P4.9 billion, according to the BIR.
Other top corporate taxpayers are San Miguel Brewery which ranked 6th (P4.77 billion), followed by Globe Telecom (P4.52 billion), tobacco giant PMFTC (P3.7 billion), Petron Corp. (P2.62 billion) and Philex Mining (P1.87 billion).