The camp of President elect Noynoy Aquino has divulged the donors of his presidential campaign. For a very long time, it looks the first time that a winning presidential candidate has divulge to the public his campaign contributors, a very transparent act.
The following are the list of individuals who significantly contributed for Aquino’s campaign funds.
Tonyboy Cojuangco P100 million
Former Environment Eecretary Fulgencio Factoran P20 million,
Martin Ignacio Lorenzo of Pancake House, 20 million
Bu Hong Chiong of Ozamiz City. 20 million
Aquino’s sister, TV host Kris Aquino, 15 -million
Leonardo Javier Jr. of Andoks Chicken 14 million.
Listed as having donated P10 million each were former Fnance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Jose Ramon Aliling, Alex Tanwangco, Jose Mari Gamboa, Elena Lim and David Lim of Solid Group of Companies, Abeto Uy of Philsteel Group of Companies, Felix Ang of Cats Motors, Felipe Diego, Felix Chung, Jose Antonio Larrauri, and Gerardo Esquivel.
Those who contributed P5 million each were identified as Aurora Abellada, Lourdes Ong, Antonio Aquino, George Barcelon, Eduardo Galvez, former Agrarian Reform secretary Philip Juico, Maripola Aquino, Angelita Legarda, Josephine Guingona, Salvador Zamora II, Gregorio Yu of Cars Motors, Josephine Reyes and Mariano Chua.
Maria Elena Cruz, Julio Sy Jr., Bernadine Quiason, and former Philippine ambassador to the Vatican Howard Dee contributed P3 million each.
Those who donated P500,000 to P2 million were Abraham Pascual, Sylvia Pascual, Sostenes Campillo Jr., Victor Gomez III, Jose Ong, Enrique Quiason, Antonio Lopa, Cornelio Toreja, Teresita Lacson, Maria Cecilia Santos, Emmanuel Cochico, Daniel Lichauco, Anita Vistan, Lourdes San Gabriel, Camilo Quiason, and Miguel Antonio Lacson.
Now what these declaration of Noynoy’s donors mean? It is a first signal that the Aquino presidency is a transparent administration. By divulging his campaign donors, the public can now focus its eyes on these donors; how they would act in the Aquino government. If these donors would try to exact concessions from the Aquino government then the people will know why because they are one of the donors of the campaign. Ultimately, it is of public interest that people already knew who contribute funds for Noynoy’s campaign.
In contrast, this declaration was not made during the Arroyo administration. There is nothing to be recalled that the list of Gloria Arroyo’s campaign donors were published. In other words, the people did not know who are these people who helped Arroyo. The people just then raised its eyebrows every time a certain individual is appointed to a high position with no clear credentials to speak of. There were so much suspicions on how Arroyo appointed people in government. It is because the Arroyo administration was never been transparent, at least, in the area of campaign contributions.
So before people will condemn the donors of the Aquino administration, they should see it in a different light. That Noynoy Aquino has nothing to hide and that his government will uphold transparency in government, in fulfillment of one of its campaign promises.
