Eduardo Cojuangco Jr Biography – Here Are The Things You Need To Know
EDUARDO COJUANGCO JR BIOGRAPHY – The beloved Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of San Miguel, Eduardo “Danding” Murphy Cojuangco Jr. lived an incredible life. Sadly, Danding passed away yesterday at St. Lukes Medical Center due to pneumonia and heart failure before 11:00 PM.
Danding was the eldest child of Eduardo C. Cojuangco Sr. and Josephine Murphy. His mother was the daughter of an Irish-Canadian US Army Volunteer who fell in love with a Filipina and was raised in Baguio. Meanwhile, his father was the son of Melecio Cojuangco had Chinese ancestries.
He studied at Lafayette College and knows how to speak Ilocano and Kapampangan, the native dialects of Tarlac. Following his education, he married Soledad “Gretchen” Oppen-Cojuangco of Negros Occidental. The two had four children: Margarita “Tina” Cojuangco Barrera, Luisa “Lisa” Cojuangco-Cruz, Carlos “Charlie” Cojuangco and Marcos “Mark” Cojuangco.
As of 2018, he was living with his partner, 1996 Binibining Pilipinas Universe winner Aileen “Leng” Damiles. They have two daughters.
Before his death, Cojuangco was also a basketball Patron who owned three teams in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA): San Miguel Beermen, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, and Magnolia Hotshots.
READ: Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. Died On Tuesday (San Miguel CEO)
Along with this, he was also recognized as the “Godfather” of Philippine basketball during the 1980s. According to ABS-CBN, He pioneered programs and assembled a national team composed of young amateur talents who were coached by the late Ron Jacobs.
Aside from his love of basketball, Danding was also a businessman and was named by Forbes as the 16th richest man in the Philippines with a net worth of $1.4 billion or roughly P70 trillion pesos.
Other than his investments in the Philippines, he also owned businesses in Australia. Among these are his private cement-manufacturing business, orchard, stud farms, and wineries.
Cojuangco also dabbled in politics as he chaired the National People’s Coalition party since its founding in the 1990s. During the 1992 election, he also ran for president but lost to Fidel Ramos. Along with this, he was also the cousin of former president Corazon Aquino. But, before running for president, he served as Tarlac’s 1st District Representative from 1969 to 1972.
READ ALSO: WATCH: Bb. Pilipinas 1996 Aileen Damiles’ Life Now With Danding Cojuanco
