Danding Cojuangco | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of thePhilippine House of Representatives fromTarlac's1st District | |
| In office December 30, 1969 – September 23, 1972 | |
| Preceded by | José Cojuangco Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Vacant[a] Post later held byJose Cojuangco Jr. |
| 20thGovernor of Tarlac | |
| In office December 30, 1967 – December 30, 1969 | |
| Vice Governor | Jose Macapinlac |
| Preceded by | Benigno Aquino Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Jose Macapinlac |
| Chairman of thePhilippine Racing Commission | |
| In office 1975–1978 | |
| President | Ferdinand Marcos |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Nemesio Yabut |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eduardo Murphy Cojuangco Jr. (1935-06-10)June 10, 1935 |
| Died | June 16, 2020(2020-06-16) (aged 85) Taguig,Metro Manila, Philippines |
| Party | NPC (1991–2020) |
| Other political affiliations | Nacionalista (1967–1978; 1986–1991) KBL (1978–1986) |
| Spouse | Soledad "Gretchen" Oppen-Cojuangco |
| Children | 6 (includingMark,Charlie, and 2 daughters with Aileen Damiles) |
| Relatives | Henry Cojuangco (brother) |
| Alma mater | University of the Philippines Los Baños California Polytechnic State University |
| Occupation | Politician, businessman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Philippines |
| Branch/service | Philippine Air Force |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Reserves |
Eduardo "Danding"Murphy Cojuangco Jr. (June 10, 1935 – June 16, 2020) was a Filipino businessman and politician. He was the chairman and CEO ofSan Miguel Corporation,[1] the largest food and beverage corporation in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. He served as a Philippine ambassador and governor ofTarlac.[2] In 2016, his personal wealth was estimated at US$1.16 billion,[3] and it was estimated that at one time, his business empire accounted for 25% of thegross national product of the Philippines.[2]
Eduardo Murphy Cojuangco Jr. was born on June 10, 1935, the first-born child of Eduardo Chichioco Cojuangco and Josephine B. Murphy. He completed his high school education atDe La Salle College. He attendedUP Los Baños andCalifornia Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.[4][5]
Cojuangco's close relationship with Philippine presidentFerdinand E. Marcos earned him a reputation as one of the late dictator's most powerful "cronies".[6] He was called "one of the country's leading businessmen".[7]
Cojuangco was the only civilian among the "Rolex 12", a group of 12 men who planned and enforced the 1972 imposition ofMartial Law.[6] He was accused of being the mastermind behindBenigno Aquino Jr.'s assassination by one of the military men convicted in the Aquino-Galman murder case, although Aquino's daughter Kris has stated that whomever she believes killed her father she could "categorically say not Danding Cojuangco."[8][9]
Cojuangco was implicated in theCoco Levy Fund controversy, a decades-long dispute over funds acquired by the Philippine Government when the Marcos administration levied a tax on copra sold by the Philippines' coconut farmers from 1973 to 1982.[10]
The stated intent of the plan, spearheaded by Cojuangco, was to develop the Philippine coconut industry. But the amount, consolidated in theUnited Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB), was alleged to have instead been channelled to the private financial interests of theMarcos family and theirclose associates.[11] The government alleged Cojuangco to have used the coconut levy funds to gain control of a 72.2% stake in United Coconut Planters Bank in 1975;[12] and a total stake of about 47% San Miguel Corporation in 1983,[13] in two blocks of about 20% and 27%, respectively.[10] The coco funds were also used to acquire six oil mills.[12] In 1975, funds from the levy were used by the government to acquire a 72.2% stake in United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB, then still known as First United Bank).[12]
In 1983, Cojuangco acquired a 20% stake inSan Miguel Corporation, which thePresidential Commission on Good Government later said he did using the windfalls from the coconut levy fund andUnited Coconut Planters Bank.[12] Another 27% was placed under the name of the Coconut Industry Investment Fund Oil Mills Group (CIIF), funded through the coco levy.[10] In 1986, all of these assets were sequestered by thePresidential Commission on Good Government after the Marcos Administration had been ousted.[12] In April 2011, the Philippines' Supreme court affirmed Cojuangco to be the owner of the 20% shares in SMC (reduced to about 17% by then because of SMC's expansion since 1983) which he had purchased through the loan from UCPB.[10]
In September 2012, the Supreme court affirmed that the 27% block of San Miguel Corporation shares under the name of the CIIF - reduced to 24% because of SMC's expansion since 1983 - were government-owned.[14] The court also ruled that the funds from these shares could only be used by government for the benefit of the coconut farmers.[14] Later that year, San Miguel Corporation bought back the government's stake for P57.6 billion, ending a 26-year period in which the Philippine government was a major voting block in the corporation.[15]
In November of the same year, the court ruled that a 72.2% stake in UCPB was owned by the state, because they were bought using coco levy funds.[10] This included a 7.22% stake registered under Cojuangco, which he claimed had been his compensation for brokering the bank's purchase in 1975, and the sale of the remaining 64.98% stake in UCPB to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).[10][16]
When Ferdinand Marcos was ousted by thePeople Power revolution in February 1986, Cojuangco was flown out of the country and into exile along with the Marcos family andFabian Ver, departing in the early morning of February 25, 1986.[17] Cojuangco was allowed to return in 1989, having spent most of his exile breeding and racing horses in Australia.[18]
In 1992, Cojuangco founded theNationalist People's Coalition to serve as his vehicle to further his aspirations in the1992 presidential elections. He was a candidate for thePhilippine presidency in 1992, ultimately losing in a tight election toFidel V. Ramos. Ramos received 23.6% of the vote.Miriam Defensor Santiago came in second with 19.7% and Cojuangco came in third with 18.2%.[19]
He further tested the political waters in 2003, intending to run in the2004 presidential election, but soon withdrew. He eventually became chairman emeritus of the NPC, wielding influence that earned him a reputation as a "kingmaker" in Philippine politics.[18]
Cojuangco advocated for sports in the country, notably basketball, having supported it since the 1980s as a basketball godfather with hisNorthern Consolidated team. ThroughSan Miguel Corporation, he was able to own three teams in thePhilippine Basketball Association: the flagshipSan Miguel Beermen,Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, andMagnolia Hotshots. He was also a key benefactor of theDe La Salle Green Archers men's basketball team.[20]
He also served as the founding chairman of thehorse racing bodyPhilippine Racing Commission from 1975 to 1978.[21]
Cojuangco was the eldest child of Eduardo C. Cojuangco Sr. and Josephine B. Murphy. His mother, the daughter of anIrish-Canadian U.S. Army volunteer who married a Filipina woman, was born and raised inBaguio.[22] His father, Eduardo Sr., the son of Melecio Cojuangco, was ofChinese descent.[23]
He was married to Soledad "Gretchen" Oppen of Negros Occidental. They had four children: Margarita "Tina" Cojuangco Barrera, Luisa "Lisa" Cojuangco-Cruz,Charlie Cojuangco, andMarcos "Mark" Cojuangco.[24] Although later separated, the couple remained legally married even afterThe Philippine Star reported in March 2018 that Cojuangco was living with 1996Binibining Pilipinas Universe winner Aileen Damiles and their two daughters.[25][26][27]
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Cojuangco died on June 16, 2020, of heart failure and pneumonia at theSt. Luke's Medical Center – Global City, six days after his 85th birthday.[28][29][30][31]
On April 29, 2022, then PresidentRodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11729, declaring every 10th of June each year a public special holiday in the province of Tarlac as Danding Cojuangco Day.[32]
In March 2024, theUrdaneta City Bypass Road inPangasinan was renamed as the Ambassador Eduardo 'Danding' M. Cojuangco Jr. Avenue by virtue of Republic Act No. 11988 signed by PresidentBongbong Marcos.[33]
On May 10, 2024, Filoil EcoOil Sports announced that the2024 Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup would be named after him.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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