A good friend, Enrique “Henry” Cojuangco, will be laid to rest this morning in his native Paniqui, Tarlac. He died Tuesday, May 12, of aneurysm of the lower aorta. He was 74.
I didn’t have much dealings with Henry. I met him during times I saw, visited or had lunch with his elder brother, the legendary tycoon, Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., the chairman and CEO of San Miguel Corp. and Petron Corp. Henry, at one time, served as vice chairman of San Miguel Corp., the P1-trillion diversified beer, food, beverage, packaging, energy, and infrastructure conglomerate. Danding has sold nearly all his holdings in SMC and left management and visioning to the hugely capable and today’s best CEO in the land, Ramon S. Ang, SMC president.
Danding and Henry are uncles of President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III. Danding’s father and Cory’s father were brothers. Danding and Cory, mother of the President, are first cousins.
During the times I met him, Henry came across as a genuinely warm, sincere and affable gentleman. He always had a ready smile and had an easy way with people. He couldn’t possibly be your enemy. He was not given to mouthing expletives nor to outbursts of rage. Tall, slim and handsome, he had the bearing of a person of means and distinguished lineage. But he dressed simply most of the times I saw and met him – polo shirt and dark or denim pants, and was extremely approachable.
Henry represented the political side of the Danding Cojuangco power structure in Tarlac, their home province. Danding has sent to masteral and PhD programs some 5,000 teachers of Tarlac. Another 5,000 out of school youngsters are to be sent to college, free, starting with a batch of 1,000 this year. Up to 15,000 OSYs of Tarlac could benefit from this Danding program.
Henry was a reluctant politician and was possibly just doing the wishes of his elder brother for someone to represent their Cojuangco side in Tarlac politics. Henry’s son, Enrique Jr. is the incumbent vice governor and will probably be elected governor in 2016. Henry was president of the Nationalist People’s Coalition and chairperson of the House committee on economic affairs.
In Congress, Henry authored a Fair Competition Bill, a measure to give the small man and the small businessman a break in doing business. Upon learning of his death, Congress passed on second reading this week, the bill.
“Henry has been a staunch advocate and author of the Fair Competition Bill and will always be remembered for his dedication and very pleasant demeanor. We, his colleagues, hope to keep his memory alive by taking on his significant legislative advocacies,” said Speaker Feliciano Belmonte.
Henry was very loyal to Danding, always standing by him and keeping him company, especially during the months the latter was recuperating from a kidney transplant during which he visited him daily. Danding is over the hump now. He will sorely miss Henry.
Aneurysm is like a thief in the night. It attacks when you least expect it. The same disease killed my eldest daughter, Myra, at the age of 37, in 2008.
I understand from doctors that you are born with the disease. Aneurysm is a bulge in the weak area of an artery. It is supposed to travel in the body’s blood vessels. The patient has no idea that he or she has it, because it has no symptoms, except a few days, when you suffer from severe headache, or the moment the swelling breaks by which time you simply drop dead. Some people, like the former first gentleman, manage it quite well and are able to live their usual life span.
As they say, good people die young. To the living, enjoy life. Reduce your enemies, which is not to say you eliminate them. Life is good but short.
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