2. Sharon Cuneta (Net worth: ₱1 Billion)
On our second spot is the Mega Star Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan. Also known as Ate Shawie, Sharon Cuneta started her showbiz career in 1978 as the Jukebox Princess. She was influenced to join the industry by her singer-actress aunt, Helen Gamboa and made her first TV appearance in Ike Lozada’s show in the Bulilit portion where she used to mimic her songs. She became popular for her songs “Mr. D.J.” and “Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko” that gave her a spot on Philippine pop charts in 1978.
She hosted her self-titled variety show in ABS-CBN from 1986 to 2010. Shawie left her home network of 24 years for a one-billion contract with TV5 in 2011. She had almost 20 nominations for major awards in Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation Box-Office Entertainment Awards (GMMSF) and won all of them with a Box Office Queen title from 1985 to 1997 (excluding 1989, 1995, 1996). She also staged a two-night sold-out major concert at the Araneta Coliseum entitled, Sharon Solo with the Boys on July 20 and 21, 1984 and was cited as the year’s Most Outstanding Female Concert Hall Act by Aliw Awards.
Cuneta starred in 53 films, 15 TV shows, and recorded 40 albums. Aside from being a judge at ABS-CBN’s current show, Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids, she is also earning a lot from her product endorsements.
1. Manny Pacquiao (Net worth: ₱9 Billion)
Our top spot belongs to none other than the People’s Champ himself, Sen. Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. Unlike most of the people on the list, Emmanuel “Manny” Dapidran Pacquiao or Manny Pacquiao had a very difficult life as a kid. After his father left them, at an early age, he worked at a local bakery selling bread around their neighborhood to provide money for his mother who was at that time doing laundry for their neighbors. He left his home at the age of 14 and dropped out of school because of poverty. His eagerness to help his family made him decide to join amateur boxing tournaments and started his professional boxing career in 1995.
Pacquiao has a professional record of 67 fights (59 wins, 6 losses, 2 draws) and is considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time as he is the first and only eight-division world champion. He won eleven major world titles and is the first boxer to win the lineal championship in five different weight classes.
He was also named “Fighter of the Decade” for 2000’s by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), WBC, and WBO. According to Forbes, he has generated approximately $19.2 million in pay-per-view buys and $1.2 billion in revenue from his 23 PPV bouts and was recorded as the second highest paid athlete in the world in 2012. Currently, he is the second highest individual taxpayer in the Philippines with over ₱210 million regular income taxes paid.
On February 2007, Pacman entered politics taking a seat in the Philippine House of Representatives and won two more terms. He is now a member of the senate after winning 7th place in the 2016 senatorial elections.