Negrenses remember Danding as kingmaker, visionary farmer

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines — A kingmaker and a visionary farmer.

This was how officials and residents of Negros Occidental province remembered business tycoon and former Ambassador Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., who died on Tuesday. He was 85.

“He (Cojuangco) was a rare breed who excelled and reached the top of both business and politics,” said Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia.

“Danding Cojuangco did not only change the physical landscape of Negros; he also impacted its politics,” he said.

Cojuangco and his wife, Soledad “Gretchen” Oppen-Cojuangco, returned to Negros Occidental from his self-exile in the United States after the fall of the Marcos regime in 1986.

Gretchen comes from a landed family in Pontevedra town where the couple settled and later managed Hacienda Balbina and several other plantations that spanned 4,300 hectares in the cities of La Carlota, Bago and Himamaylan, and the towns of Pontevedra, Hinigaran, La Castella and Isabela.

Negros politics

Cojuangco consolidated his influence in Negros politics when he ran for the presidency in 1992 but lost to Fidel V. Ramos. He supported the presidential bid of Joseph Estrada in 1998 and became his staunch ally.

It was during the Estrada administration when the property of Cojuangco was placed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. But instead of distributing the lands to 1,800 farmer-beneficiaries, a joint venture scheme was put up that made them part owners and workers of the property.

Through his Nationalist People’s Coalition and the United Negros Alliance, Cojuangco changed the face of Negros Occidental politics to a near one-party monopoly with the election of Joseph Marañon in 2001 as governor.

Except for the fallout with Gov. Alfredo Marañon, Joseph’s brother, in 2016, Cojuangco was seen as the man behind the election of governors and mayors of Negros Occidental since 2001.

Cojuangco also supported the gubernatorial bid of incumbent Gov. Eugenio Lacson.

Farming techniques

Leonardia also credited Cojuangco for the massive planting of exotic fruit trees and forest trees in Negros.

Sugar planter and leader Manuel Lamata said Cojuangco’s legacy was introducing to Negros new farming techniques, including planting of many fruit crops outside of sugar like durian, cacao and many more.

Also close to Cojuangco’s heart were the teachers. This was why he had many scholarship programs to help the marginalized and the Project Flagships to Reach Educational Excellence (Free) which sent teachers to postgraduate studies, including doctoral degree programs.

Lacson said Cojuangco was known for his generous contributions to civic groups, schools and church programs.

“His brainchild, Project Free for teachers, showed his astute understanding of the importance of education in nation-building. He clearly recognized the need to empower our teachers to be able to train globally competitive students,” Lacson said.

In Cojuangco’s home province of Tarlac, the provincial board on Wednesday passed a resolution recognizing his contributions, including the livelihood opportunities he created for Tarlaqueños.

Cojuangco served as Tarlac governor from 1967 to 1969 and representative of its first district from 1969 to 1972. He started his political career at 22 as councilor and then as vice mayor of his hometown of Paniqui.

He led the construction of various infrastructure projects and churches in the province, including the St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Camiling town.

—With a report from Maria Adelaida Calayag