His camp's official reports to the Commission on Elections showed that Aquino received a little more than P440 million in campaign contributions, of which about P403 million were supposedly spent during the whole campaign period.
Among his contributors were his second cousin, Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco, former chairman of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), who gave him P100 million, and several other businessmen.
Aquino said he only promised his financial backers that he would level the playing field, as many of those who contributed to his campaign perceived themselves as "disadvantaged" compared to other businesses who supposedly receive "undue advantage" from the government.
"Ang pinangako ko sa kanila simpleng simple lang, ipaparehas natin yung playing field. Walang may advantage or undue advantage. At sila naman, coming from position na disadvantaged na unwarranted, masaya na supposed to be dun sa babalik lang na parehas na laban," Aquino said.
(What I promised them was very simple: that I would level the playing field. No one would have undue advantage. And since they come from a disadvantaged position that is unwarranted, they're supposed to be happy enough that we merely return to a level playing field.)
"Kung may hahanapin pa silang iba, sorry ang commitment ko iparehas lang po sila," said the president-elect.
(If they want anything more than that, sorry but my commitment is just to ensure fairness.)
There were actually several offers of financial support from businessmen whom Aquino refused because of their bad reputations or unreasonable expectations, he said.
"Kung may kapalit na hinihingi yung tulong mo sa akin, no thank you. Meron kaming ni-no thank you-han, at marami-rami rin yung ni-no thank you," he said, adding that one of them was an alleged gambling lord.
(If you're asking for something in return for your help, no thank you. We said 'no thank you' to quite a number.)
"Meron pa yung point na tinatakot kami na pag di namin tinanggap pupunta sa kalaban. O di pinanindigan na namin. Alanganin kami sa inyo eh," added Aquino.
(There was even a point when we were threatened that the contribution would go to our opponent if we refused to accept it. So we stood our ground. [We said,] we didn't feel comfortable with the offer.)
The P10-million contribution of former Trade and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima should not be seen in a bad light, Aquino clarified, because the two of them have been allies in the opposition for a long time.
"Alam naman po niya yung limitasyon ng ating kampanya, biglaan," said Aquino, who was only became a presidential contender after the death of his mother, the late former president Corazon Aquino.
(He knew the limitation of my campaign, that it was a sudden move.)
"Bilang isang Pilipino nagmamahal sa kapwa niya Pilipino, sa bayan natin, puro salita na lang ba, o sumama na siyang tumaya? Tinaya na niya kalayaan niya, tinaya na niya reputasyon niya dito, dinagdag na niya kanyang resources. Dapat ba nating imasama yun?" said Aquino.
(As a Filipino who loves his fellow Filipino and his country, must he be limited to just words, or will he share the risks? He risked his freedom, he risked his reputation on this, he contributed his resources. Should we take that badly?)
Purisima is one of the so-called Hyatt 10, a group of Cabinet officials who resigned from the Arroyo administration at the height of the Hello Garci scandal that cast doubt on the legitimacy of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's victory in the 2004 elections.
Purisima, who is rumored to be Aquino's choice to head the Finance department, is a member of the transition team that would oversee a smooth transition from the Arroyo to the Aquino administration.
The team’s tasks include coordinating arrangements for the inaugural program on June 30, overseeing the smooth turnover of Cabinet portfolio positions, and assisting in the accounting, receipt, and disposition of relevant records, information and other equipment.
Aquino still refused to answer queries about his Cabinet, saying he would disclose all the names at the appropriate time before his June 30 inauguration. - Jam L. Sisante, RJAB Jr./JV
Campaign donors file big claims under law.(Real Estate & Housing)(Statewide, property owners have asked for reparations more than 2,200 times): An article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)
Your campaign and their privacy, Part II.(keeping information on political donors private)(Brief Article): An article from: Campaigns & Elections
Saying "thank you" to donors. (Political Adviser).(campaign etiquette): An article from: Campaigns & Elections
Answering Ayres: Requiring campaign donors to remain anonymous would not resolve corruption concerns. (Campaign Finance).: An article from: Regulation
Artful fundraising: how to build a bigger donor base.: An article from: Campaigns & Elections
