COA commissioner’s wealth grows by P14.5 M

Commission on Audit (COA) commissioner Mario Lipana, who is currently under investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman over his alleged involvement in the flood control scam, had a P14.5-million increase in his wealth from his first day in office on Jan. 27, 2022 up to the end of 2024, his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs), obtained by The STAR from the ombudsman, showed.

- By ELIZABETH MARCELO

Based on Lipana's entry SALN filed with the ombudsman on Feb. 3, 2022, he started his term as COA commissioner with a net worth of P12.03 million, comprised of P7.03 million in real properties and P5 million in personal properties as of Jan. 27, 2022.

In a span of 11 months, Lipana's net worth grew by P7 million or to P19.03 million as of Dec. 31, 2022, owing to the increase in his cash on hand and in bank to P12 million from just P4.5 million declared in his entry SALN.

The value of his real properties remained at P7.03 million as of Dec. 31, 2022, while a Toyota Camry vehicle valued at P500,000 declared in his entry SALN was no longer declared as of year-end.

Lipana's net worth grew to P23.53 million as of Dec. 31, 2023, owing to the increase in his cash on hand/bank to P15 million. The value of his real properties also increased to P8.53 million from P7.03 million in the previous year. This was mainly due to his acquisition of a house and lot in Bulacan worth P1.5 million.

By Dec. 31, 2024, his net worth stood at P26.53 million, due to the increase in his cash on hand/bank to P18 million. The value of Lipana's real properties remained at P8.53 million.

In all his filed SALNs, Lipana declared zero liabilities.

Lipana, who hailed from San Ildefonso, Bulacan was appointed as commissioner by former president Rodrigo Duterte with a term of until Feb. 2, 2027.