In October 2020, Charlie Cojuangco presented his then fiancée China Jocson with a gift: a plastic blue toddler chair.
It was, in Charlie’s words, “so that you are always around me, no excuse.”
The chair became a symbol of how much Charlie valued his wife’s company and her views about a variety of topics, as he would constantly pull up the chair so she could sit near him, “to listen, converse, plan, argue, sing, debate among other things in the bathroom, dressing room, garage, kitchen, office, while sitting in her (my) little blue chair.”
The Little Blue Chair became witness to the couple's milestones, such as their betrothal in January 2021, civil wedding in April 2021, and church wedding in October 2021
It was present when they planned celebrating their birthdays, mapped out his political career and projects, and looked forward to their future and charitable pursuits.
But even after Charlie's death on February 22, 2022, the Little Blue Chair will continue to hear inspiring stories, spearhead advocacies, and make a big difference in the lives of the less-fortunate.
It has started to chronicle its little and big successes through the website LittleBlueChair.ph.
China wrote on the site, “Our commitment to charities was also affirmed in one of our ‘chair sessions.
“And while circumstances have changed, I vow to honor all our obligations and even more.”
Little Blue Chair: A Charlie and China Cojuangco Initiative
What propelled the establishment of Little Blue Chair was a short video clip found in Charlie’s phone that shows him requesting a beneficiary to spread the word about their arrangement and pay the good deed forward.
Said Josephine Romero from the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship, “'When life blesses you financially, raise your standard of giving and not your standard of living…'
"This was repeatedly shared to me by Mr. and Mrs. Cojuangco as their stringent practice. This principle serves as the precedent for this initiative.”
A mentor at Little Blue Chair, Romero has been helping standardize the platform and overseeing Little Blue Chair with two international advisors.
According to her, “The endowment for Little Blue Chair is very straightforward, most funds from Mr. Charlie Cojuangco that were inherited by his surviving spouse are allotted to their/her chosen beneficiaries to be disbursed over a period of time.”
Medical assistance, educational scholarships, angel investing, support for programs benefiting churches, prisons and indigenous groups; funding for culture and the arts are just a few of the causes and campaigns near and dear to the couple’s heart that Little Blue Chair supports.
Says Cydea Paras, a member of an intergovernmental organization and one of Little Blue Chair consultants, “Channels were always relied on by the couple to allocate their donations.
“This approach will continue, their goodwill remains undisclosed."
Charlie and China Cojuangco's Charity
The late Carlos “Charlie” Cojuangco served multiple terms as representative of the provinces of Negros Occidental and Tarlac.
He also established the Carlos O. Cojuangco Foundation (COCFI), which supported a variety of altruistic causes and programs.
His wife China co-founded an organization called Maria Maria that had organized decade-long feeding programs to impoverished communities.
And even after Charlie’s untimely demise, Little Blue Chair will be testament to the couple’s devotion to helping.