Ysidra Cojuangco

On May 15, 1867, Ysidra Cojuangco was born in Malolos Bulacan. She was the daughter of Antera
Estrella, a native of Malolos, and Co Yu Huan, who emigrated from China to the Philippines in 1836. Co
Yu Huan was later baptized as Jose Cojuangco through Roman Catholic rites.

Ysidra had a brother, Melecio and a sister Trinidad, who was a spinster like her although there were
rumors that Ysidra had a love child with General Antonio Luna. Ysidra is said to have put her child for
"adoption" and raised by her brother Melecio.

Melecio pursued Education at Letran and UST, became a representative in the first Philippine Assembly.
He married Tekla Chichioco and raised four sons before finally succumbing to a heart attack at a very
young age.

After their father's death, the four boys took care of the family businesses under the supervision of
Ysidra, who inculcated to the Cojuangco kids the value of hard work and waking up early every day.
Thanks to Ysidra who took the role of their father, the Cojuangco boys turned out to be competent
politicians and businessmen. With the support of their aunt Ysidra, they were able to establish the
Philippine Bank of Commerce, considered to be the first Filipino-owned private bank in the country.

Cory's father, Jose, also managed the family sugar mill and later bought the 6,453-hectare Hacienda
Luisita from a Spanish company.

Ysidra Cojuangco died July 13, 1960 of acute pulmonary edema, was burried in Paniqui, Tarlac.

The Cojuangco's Fortune

Ysidra and General Antonio Luna must have met in Paniqui, Tarlac during one of Luna's trips as he
controlled the railways during the revolution. They must have trysted in both Tarlac and Malolos in
Ysidra's family's house.

Luna as the Chief of Staff, collected gold and silver from Pampanga and Ilocos as salary for his men. On
several occasions, Luna brought caskets of these treasures to Ysidra in Tarlac for safe keeping and
because he also planned to establish the revolutionary capital there.

It is said that Ysidra in her 30's must have been pregnant or had given birth before General Antonio Luna
was assassinated on June 5, 1899. Days before he died, Ysidra received another batch of treasure for
safe keeping.

When Antonio Luna died, the First Republic was on the run, the revolutionary army was defeated by the
Americans and disbanded. The Americans then were inquiring about the gold, which Ysidra and her
family hid. The contemporaries of Antonio Luna also suspected that the wealth was with Ysidra.

Encarnacion Saulo-Padilla, who was a friend and neighbor of Ysidra Cojuangco and who died in 1960,
said that Ysidra confided to her that she and Luna were "very good friends" and that the general left her
many valuables "not once but regularly" and on many occasions.
Encarnacion is the daughter of Eulalio Saulo who confirmed the story because he was one of the military
escorts of the gold shipment to Ysidra. Her testimony is the first direct evidence from Ysidra admitting
what many Luna contemporaries long suspected, that the source of the Cojuangco fortune was the gold
and silver commandeered by Luna to finance his guerrilla war from up north and regularly turned over
to Ysidra.

General Jose Alejandrino, the confidant of Luna. He told his nephew, Ambassador Jose Alejandrino, that
before Luna left for Cabanatuan he said to him in the presence of Colone Paco Roman he was leaving
the gold and silver in the custody of Ysidra until he returned.

General Alejandrino's grandnephew, Jose Alejandrino, believes Ysidra had no intention of stealing the
money. "You have to understand the circumstances at the time," he said. "After Luna was assassinated,
Aguinaldo disarmed all his officers in Angeles. The revolutionary army quickly disintegrated.

The Americans kept chasing Aguinaldo. So Ysidra didn't know who to return the money to. She was just
the lucky beneficiary.

Controlling Philippine Politics and Economy

Ysidra now took care of the four sons of Melecio Cojuangco.

1st. Antonio Cojuangco, her real son died early and is only survived by Ramon Cojuangco and later
had a son named Tonyboy Cojuangco who owned PLDT.
2nd. Juan Cojuangco was married but had no legitimate children.
3rd. Jose Cojuangco, begat, Ceferino, Pedro, Josephine, Teresita, Carmen (died during infancy),
Corazon, Jose and Maria Paz. Of historical note
i. Teresita who married Ricardo Lopa (who owns the Pulse Asia Survey*), Jose or Peping
(who owns the political party UNA supporting Jejomar Binay and Gregorio Honasan )
and Corazon Cojuangco whose son Benigno Aquino III now current president of the
Republic of the Philippines, owns the Liberal Party supporting the candidacy of Mar
Roxas and Leni Robredo).
ii. When Cory took over the country after the EDSA revolution, she sold the companies she
sequestered from Marcos and cronies to the family of her sister Teresita Lopa on a
bargain. She further gave extra favors to her relatives and nephews with the Philippine
Airlines and PLDT shares of stocks. She also gave ABS-CBN back to the Lopezes without
a single cent. ABS-CBN was salvaged by the Marcos government because they were
mired in debt.
4th. Eduardo Cojuangco begat Eduardo also called “Danding” Cojuangco and Merceditas.
i. Merceditas is the mother of Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro, who ran in the 2010 presidential
elections but was not supported by his uncle Danding.
ii. Danding Cojuangco now owns shares of San Miguel Corporation using the coco levy
fund. He also owns the National Peoples Coalition (NPC), who is also supporting the
candidacy of Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero. Danding supported his nephew, Benigno
 “Noynoy Aquino in the 2010 presidential election. He now owns Liberty Company that
monopolizes the internet frequency of the country of which Grace Poe’s husband is
working for.

The big corporations of the country and the government is virtually controlled and owned by the
Cojuangco family. The list above is just the tip of the iceberg. The capital of the Cojuangcos can be
traced back to the alleged revolutionary treasure trove of the KKK, which was supposed to be the salary
of the men fighting for the freedom of the Philippines.

This is my summary of the Antonio Luna and Ysidra Cojuangco’s love story