MANILA, Philippines – To make his Malacañang dreams come true, now-President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. received help from dozens of contributors, who chipped in a total of P624.684 million.

Over one-third of that amount – P247.234 million to be specific – came from his childhood friend and now-Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo.

But Marcos indicated that Lagdameo’s contribution was “in-kind from party.” The summary page of his statement of contribution and expenditures (SOCE) also showed that the P247.234 million was from his political party through in-kind donations.

So where did the money of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas – a new political party that was only recently catapulted to the national scene and where Lagdameo is treasurer – come from?

Rappler obtained a copy of PFP’s schedule of contributions received from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday, August 30, and found numerous notable names in the Philippine business scene on the list.

Three men contributed P30 million each

The single-highest donation that PFP received was P30 million each from three different people:

• Douglas Luym is a Cebuano businessman who has been identified in past news reports as chief executive officer of the LuDo and LuYm Corporation, an agriculture industry firm that manufactures coconut oil, corn starch, glucose and other products. Luym was president of the Mactan Electric Company as of November 2021. He was a top stockholder of property developer Cebu Holdings as of December 2020, and port developer Asian Terminals Incorporated as of July 2022.

• Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., as of 2021, was president of Frabelle Group, a food processing company and maker of hotdog brand Bossing. He has been a member of the Private Sector Advisory Council, which was formed by Marcos in July.

• Engineer Manuel S. Mendoza is co-owner of Monocrete Construction Philippines, a Taguig-based firm that offers engineering, design, and construction services, among others.

Six people donated P20 million each

• Jack Gaisano is the director of Metro Retail Stores Group, Inc., which runs supermarkets and department stores across the country.

• Edmund Gaisano is behind the Gaisano Capital Group, a mall and supermarket chain.

• David B. Lu
• Edward S. Go
• Jaime K. Chua
• Benjamin L. Go

Four people donated P10 million each

• John Patrick Gregorio is listed as executive vice president and trustee of the Manuel V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation, and president of the Philippine Rowing Association, Inc. He was also commercial and marketing head of Maynilad according to a 2014 news article.

• Simon L. Paz is a hotelier who owns the Rizal Park Hotel.

• Christopher Pastrana is a domestic shipowner who headed the Archipelago Philippines Ferries Corp, which runs FastCat vessels, ports, and terminals. Marcos initially named him general manager of the Philippine Ports Authority in July, although the chief executive later tapped another person to serve as officer-in-charge, after outcry over supposed conflict of interest due to Pastrana’s business links and alleged unsettled penalties with the PPA.

• Ericson Uy

Other million-peso contributors

• Alain C. Lee is the founder of Ilocos Region-based construction and residential contracting company Viking Construction and Supplies.

• June Vincent Gaudan is now a director at the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

• Robert Fierro
• Jose C. Benitez
• Herbert Antonio Martinez
• Janet Lane Sy

Overall, 47 people donated to PFP for the 2022 election campaign. Thirteen of them donated seven-digit figures that, if totaled, are equivalent to 91% of the P273.666-million worth of donations received by Marcos’ party.

Below is the full list of Partido Federal’s donors:

What is Partido Federal’s background?

Established in 2018, Partido Federal entered the big leagues in 2021 after Marcos chose it to be his political party vehicle for the 2022 polls.

In a Rappler Talk interview in August, PFP president Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said that on July 7, 2021, Marcos went to Tupi, South Cotabato, where the latter disclosed to the South Cotabato governor that he plans to seek either the presidency or vice presidency in 2022.

Tamayo recalled saying to Marcos that he would back his bid but would not join his party, as Tamayo is leading PFP. Marcos then reportedly showed interest in joining Partido Federal.

“He studied our by-laws and party ideologies,” Reynaldo said in Filipino. “That’s why when he decided to run for president in September, we talked and discussed if it’s possible that he rides Partido Federal for his campaign.”

“I told him, that’s great and we’re extremely thankful,” he added.

On its website, PFP describes itself as a democratic political party that aims to: reduce poverty through a human rights-based and social development approach, create an effective law enforcement mechanism, and develop a system of government that “embraces the Filipinos’ diversity.” – Rappler.com

– Rappler.com