Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.

Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr.
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Tarlac's 1st District
In office
December 30, 1969 – September 23, 1972
Preceded by Jose Cojuangco Jr.
Succeeded by Vacant[1]
Post later held by Jose Cojuangco Jr.
Governor of Tarlac
In office
December 30, 1967 – December 30, 1969
Personal details
Born Eduardo Murphy Cojuangco Jr.
(1935-06-10) June 10, 1935
Paniqui, Tarlac, Philippine Islands
Nationality Filipino
Political party NPC (1991-present)
Other political
affiliations		 Nacionalista Party (1967-1991)
Spouse(s) Soledad Oppen Cojuangco
Alma mater Lafayette College
Occupation Businessperson

Eduardo "Danding" Murphy Cojuangco Jr. (born June 10, 1935) is the chairman of San Miguel Corporation,[2] the largest food and beverage corporation in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, former Philippine ambassador, and former governor of Tarlac.[3] In 2016, his personal wealth was estimated at US$1.1 billion.[2] It was estimated that, at one time, his business empire accounted for 25% of the gross national product of the Philippines.[3] As of July 2017, his personal wealth was estimated at US$1.16 billion. [4] He has been called "one of the country's leading businessmen".[5]

Political life

Cojuangco was a close adviser and personal friend to former Philippine president Ferdinand E. Marcos, which led his estrangement from his cousin, Corazon Aquino, who, after Marcos' ouster, succeeded him as president. He was a member of the group nicknamed the "Rolex 12", a group of 12 men who were closest to Marcos and allegedly were his enforcers of Martial Law. He is also an honorary member of PMA Class 1951. Cojuangco also was accused by the military men at the scene of Benigno Aquino Jr.'s assassination, as the leader who orchestrated the crime.

He is currently the chairman emeritus of the Nationalist People's Coalition, the party he founded in 1992 which served as his vehicle to further his aspirations in the 1992 presidential elections. He was a candidate for the Philippine presidency in 1992, ultimately losing in a tight election to Fidel 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%.[6] He further tested the political waters in 2003, intending to run in the 2004 presidential election, but soon withdrew.

Sports patron

He was also an advocate for sports in the country through using his companies as sponsor for various events. He is notable for supporting basketball in a huge way since the 1980s as a basketball godfather for President Marcos with the famed Northern Consolidated team. Through San Miguel Corporation, he currently owns three teams in the Philippine Basketball Association (the flagship San Miguel Beermen, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, and Star Hotshots). He is also the key benefactor of the De La Salle Green Archers men's basketball team.

Personal life

Cojuangco is of partial Irish, Spanish, and Chinese descent. He is the eldest child of Eduardo C. Cojuangco Sr. and Josephine B. Murphy. He is married to Soledad "Gretchen" Oppen. They have four children: Margarita "Tina" Cojuangco Barrera, Luisa "Lisa" Cojuangco Cruz, Carlos "Charlie" Cojuangco and Marcos "Mark" Cojuangco.

Cojuangco was educated at Lafayette College.[7] Besides English and Tagalog, he speaks Ilocano and Kapampangan, the native languages of Tarlac province.

References

  1. ↑ Congress was dissolved when President Marcos declared Martial Law on September 23, 1972.
  2. 1 2 Conde, Carlos H. (June 18, 2005). "Spotlight: The Philippines' power broker". New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Drogin, Bob (January 1, 1991). "Profile : The King of Cronies Eyes Power in the Philippines : Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. amassed a fortune under Ferdinand Marcos and survived his ouster. He remains an embarrassing thorn in the side of Corazon Aquino.". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ↑ "Eduardo Cojuangco". Forbes online. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  5. ↑ Landé, Carl Herman; Waxman, Mickey (1996). Post-Marcos Politics: A Geographical and Statistical Analysis of the 1992 Presidential Election. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 978-981-3055-21-6.
  6. ↑ Choi, Jungug (2006). Governments and Markets in East Asia: The Politics of Economic Crises. Taylor & Francis. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-415-39902-9.
  7. ↑ "Eduardo Cojuangco". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
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