By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
De La Salle University was devastated with the loss of their Ambassador, Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. (ECJ) after a tough battle with cancer.
One of the main pillars of their success, DLSU greats expressed their thankfulness and gratitude for the four decades of mentorship and leadership ECJ brought to the table.
For 40 years, ECJ was the main boost behind DLSU’s success, being hands-on in recruiting their top players and treated them like sons once they decided to wear the green and white and suit up for the UAAP.
One of the stories that touched DLSU’s hearts was him attending high-school graduations of the players he is recruiting for La Salle, just to prove to them that he will support them in all their endeavors.
DLSU’s Kib Montalbo, who is a native of Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, and Aljun Melecio from Bukidnon, said that without ECJ’s undying support to them, they won’t be in La Salle.
It’s not only the players that ECJ takes care of, but also their families. Santi Santillan, a former Green Archer, shared that because of ECJ, his father now has a stable work.
“Dahil sa kanya, may stable na trabaho ang papa ko na dati ay hirap pa sila sa pang araw-araw na gastusin. Malaking utang na loob ko sa kanya, and forever grateful ako na nakilala ko siya at sa lahat ng naitulong niya sa amin,” said Santillan.
Ben Mbala, the former two-time UAAP MVP and one of the best to wear the green and white, explained that if not for ECJ, his transfer from the Southwestern University (SWU) to DLSU would be hard.
“He was a leader in so many ways, always trying to help others, and he left such a huge print in the Philippines. He took me in when I got to DLSU and treated me like a son,” Mbala shared.
One of the things that Mbala was very thankful for ECJ was flying his whole family from Cameroon to the Philippines for them to see their son play in the UAAP finals.
“I can’t ever be thankful enough,” Mbala closed.
