'Eduardo Murphy "Danding" Cojuangco, Jr.' (born
June 10,
1935) is the chairman of
San Miguel Corporation, the largest food and beverage corporation in the Philippines, and was a candidate for the
Philippine presidency in 1992, ultimately losing to
Fidel Ramos. He tested the political waters in
2003, planning to run in the
2004 Presidential and Local Elections, but soon withdrew. He was a close advisor and personal friend to former President
Ferdinand E. Marcos, which led him to become estranged from his cousin,
Corazon Aquino, who after Marcos' ouster succeeded him as president. Cojuangco is of partial
Irish and
Chinese descent.
Cojuangco was a member of the
Rolex 12, a group of 12 men who were closest to Marcos and allegedly were his enforcers of Martial Law. 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 also an advocate for sports in the country through using his company as sponsors for various events. He is notable for supporting hugely on basketball since the
1980's as a basketball godfather for President Marcos with the famed Northern Consolidated teams of coach
Ron Jacobs and the three SMC owned teams currently playing in the
Philippine Basketball Association (the flagship
San Miguel Beermen,
Barangay Ginebra, and
Purefoods Chunkee Giants).
Thoroughbred horse racing
Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr. is the owner of Gooree Stud at
Mudgee, New South Wales, a
Thoroughbred racing and
breeding operation whose horses compete in
Australia and
New Zealand. Cojuangco's noted horses includes the American colt
Manila, who won the
1986 Breeders' Cup Turf and the
2002 Australian Derby winner,
Don Eduardo.
External links
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Is Eduardo Cojuangco good for San Miguel?
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Asiaweek Power 50, 2000
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Post Marcos Politics: A Geographical and Statistical Analysis of the 1992 Presidential Election
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The two lives of the Boss
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Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. is a man Filipinos admire - and loathe
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Boss Danding