Kris is top Leni contributor

MANILA, Philippines - Presidential sister Kris Aquino was the biggest contributor of vice president-elect Leni Robredo.

She donated over P30 million, based on Robredo’s Statement of Contributions and Expenditures filed on Wednesday with the campaign finance office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Robredo received a total of P423,163,737.34 in campaign contributions and she spent P418,664,130.60.

The SOCE showed that Aquino, who was listed as Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino, had donated a total of P30,830,333.42 in four tranches.  

Her older sister Victoria Aquino Dee contributed P1 million.

Most of the contributions received by Robredo came in many but small amounts, some as low as P5,000.

Publishing mogul Liza Gokongwei-Cheng had donated P200,000.

Those who donated in the millions included Peter Dionela Garucho Jr., who gave a total of P10 million.

He served as secretary of the tourism and of trade and industry during the term of the late president Corazon Aquino.  

Others include Eduardo Borromeo Cu-Unjieng (P10 million); Harvey Keh (P5 million); Dionisio Romero Gil (P5 million); Wellington Lim (P10 million); Jose Baltazar Buenaventura (P10 million); Edwin Sy Coseteng (P5.5 million); Richard Chester Caguiat Tamayo (P5.2 million); Jesus Jaucian Hernandez (P5 million); Benjamin Han Tek Cua, (P5 million); Ramon Ricardo Valero Gutierrez (P5 million); Sheila Jean Ines Ramos (P4 million) and Benjamin Feliciano Santos (P3.5 million). 

Meanwhile, the biggest contributor in Sen. Grace Poe’s presidential campaign was her mother, actress Susan Roces.

Based on Poe’s SOCE, Roces donated a total of P25 million.

Poe reported to have received a total of P511.9 million in contributions for her campaign.

Of the total amount, Poe spent P510.8 million, making her the biggest spender in the May 2016 elections.

The biggest donation came from Oscar Valera, who gave P50 million for Poe’s campaign kitty, and Maria delas Mercedez Zobel, who donated P20 million.

Other big contributors of Poe include Odilon Tiongson Sta. Teresa, Marvin Go, Teodo Llamanzares, Marilyn Lacsa and Bryan Villanueva.

Poe said the high cost of television and radio advertisements caused her to spend about P510.8 million.

“The apparently high amount of expenditures that I incurred for my campaign, as duly reflected in my SOCE and fully covered by campaign donations, reflects my challenging bid as an independent candidate, without the machinery and full backing of a political party, unlike other bets,” she said in a text message.

Her lack of political party also contributed to the high expenses, she  added.

Poe said she relied extensively on “more expensive media advertising,” which she used to reach out to the public and ask for their support.  

“As such, the absence of a party and a nationwide political machinery constrained me as a matter of strategy to rely extensively on the more expensive media advertising that enabled me, however, to convey my platform of government to our electorate nationwide,” she said.

“Secondly, as an independent, there was no political party to help me defray most of the campaign expenses, a privilege my  opponents enjoyed.”

No strings attached

Davao del Norte representative-elect Antonio  Floirendo Jr. is not asking anything in return for his P75-million contribution to the campaign fund of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte in the May 9 polls.

Floirendo was the biggest contributor based on the Statement of Contribution and Expenditures that Duterte submitted to the Comelec last Wednesday.

Floirendo and Duterte have been longtime friends and colleagues in the 11th Congress.

The Floirendos are among the biggest producers of banana and other high value agriculture products in Mindanao.

The Floirendo group of companies has also lately diversified into real estate and entered into a joint venture with the Ayala group for the construction and establishment of shopping malls in Mindanao.

Floirendo said Duterte is like a brother to him.

“But I would like to express that all of the millions I have donated to Duterte are without any strings attached, so to speak,” he said.

“It is my own humble contribution, first as a ‘brother’ and an ardent supporter, second as a fellow Mindanaon who saw in president Rody the man who could make it all happen for Mindanao.”

Floirendo said that beyond the millions of pesos, it was his brotherly love for Duterte that prompted him to support his candidacy.

It was known here that Floirendo was first seen to support Vice President Jejomar Binay, but when Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for president last Nov. 27, Floirendo shifted his support to Duterte.

“This was also the reason why I had to back out from my support for VP Jejomar Binay which the good outgoing vice president understood well,” Floirendo said.

Floirendo has always been among the constant supporters of Duterte in his past electoral forays, when he became mayor of Davao City for eight terms and once each as vice mayor and representative in Congress.

Floirendo’s first contribution was on April 5 worth P50 million, followed by a second tranche of  P25 million in the next few days, according to Duterte’s SOCE records.

Despite his huge contribution, Floirendo kept mum and distant, especially when Duterte was already the clear winner.

Floirendo, however, endorsed his fellow come-backing lawmaker Pantaleon Alvarez for the  speakership.

In a statement yesterday, Floirendo said that he would have wanted his financial contributions to Duterte’s candidacy to be incognito, but he

understands the situation because the law mandates it to be made public for transparency purposes. – With Mayen Jaymalin, Christina Mendez, Edith Regalado