BGB mini museum opened

Most people remember The Philippine Star’s founding chairman Billie Mary "Betty" Go Belmonte (1933-1994) as an accomplished publisher, devout Christian and a stalwart of the first Edsa uprising in 1986. But how many realize that she was a talented entrepreneur like her maternal great-great-grandfather – one of the pioneers of the country’s earliest department stores in the 19th century, that as a young girl she was an avid movie fan, that she saw how her family escaped execution and was hunted by the Japanese military who pillaged the Philippines in World War II, that she was a prayer partner of then President Cory Aquino during the many military coups, and that she followed the footsteps of her journalist grandfather because both of them supported revolutions against corrupt regimes?

Museums/Exhibits to inspire youths in public schools nationwide?

Wouldn’t it be educational and inspirational for young people if public schools nationwide opened mini-museums or exhibits within their campuses, extolling men and women with lives of exemplary service, leadership, idealism or excellence, as an antidote to our shallow celebrity-obsessed and showbiz-fixated pop culture? This unique idea was recently pioneered with the inauguration of the Betty Go Belmonte Museum inside a public school named after her located in Bayani Street, Quezon City on January 28 at her 10th death anniversary.

The austere affair was attended by her family members, close friends led by former President Corazon C. Aquino, Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, ex-Senate President Jovito Salonga and Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo, the teachers and students of the school and residents of Barangay Doña Imelda.

Eight months after her death from bone cancer in September 1994, the City Council of Quezon City approved an ordinance introduced by then Councilor Jopet Sison to rename the Barangay Imelda Elementary School in memory of Betty Go Belmonte "for her unselfishness and readiness to help the needy, most especially the victims of calamities." Barangay Captain Vicente Sy explained that the name Barangay Doña Imelda does not refer to former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, but to an Imelda Tuazon of the Chinese mestizo Tuazon landowning clan which used to own huge tracts of lands all over Santa Mesa Heights, Quezon City.

A fitting tribute to a woman who fought for freedom, upheld truth and moral character, and who devoted her life to Christian charities, this mini-museum showcases an exhibit on Betty Go Belmonte’s life and accomplishments. She studied A.B. English in University of the Philippines and took her MA in American Literature in Claremont Graduate School of California, USA. She was chairman and president of Philippines Today., Inc./The Philippine Star, editor of The Fookien Times Philippines Yearbook, chairman/president of Daily Star Publishing/Ang Pilipino Ngayon, co-founder/co-chairman of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, member of the UP Board of Regents, trustee of Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Foundation, trustee of Alay sa Kawal Foundation, trustee of the Joaquin "Chino" Roces Foundation, noard member of Philippine National Red Cross, Trustee of the UP Foundation, president of Sigma Delta Phi Alumnae Association, President of the Zonta Club of Quezon City, trustee of Philippine Ballet Theater and Philippine Philharmonic Society, and many others. The local government of Quezon City hopes that this pioneering effort of establishing a school museum on an exemplary civic leader’s life and ideals can help inspire students.

Three Generations Of Journalism & Revolution

Mayor Sonny Belmonte said: "My wife Betty appeared to be soft-spoken and holy, but the fact of the matter is that she was a tough person. Even as a young girl, she already had a tremendous admiration for her late father the Christian publisher Go Puan Seng."

Betty Go Belmonte’s family has actively been involved in journalism and revolutions for three generations.

Her father Go Puan Seng was only 20 when he was appointed editor of the top Chinese-language newspaper Fookien Times by its founder Philippine "Lumber King" and my grandfather’s second-cousin Dee C. Chuan. This newspaper was originally launched to support the overseas Chinese campaign to revitalize Fujian (which used to be spelled "Fookien" or "Fukien") province, ancestral homeland of many Southeast Asian Chinese. In the 1930s, there was a short-lived attempt to set up an independent Fujian revolutionary government under anti-Japanese military hero General Tsai Ting-Kai and in defiance of then controversial President Chiang Kai-Shek. Activist tycoon Dee C. Chuan and the Fookien Times under Go Puan Seng were strong supporters of General Tsai.

When the Japanese imperial army invaded the Philippines, Go Puan Seng and his family survived the relentless hunt by the Japanese military, who were angered by his newspaper’s non-stop advocacy of resistance to Japanese militarism in Asia since the 1930s. The late Go Puan Seng in his last interview arranged by Betty Go Belmonte, recounted to this writer that he had once been jailed for libel in the 1930s by a powerful man, but he stood firm in this case which became a landmark of jurisprudence on Philippine press freedom.

Unknown to most people and even to Betty’s children, her paternal grandfather was editor of Manila’s Chinese-language revolutionary newspaper Kong Li Po founded by Dr. Jose Tee Han Kee, the immigrant father of Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee. Kong Li Po was launched by the local Chinese community to support Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s 1911 revolution against the corrupt and decadent Manchu regime of the Ching Dynasty.

Coincidentally, eight decades later in 1986, Betty Go Belmonte would be among those civic leaders in the forefront of the anti-Marcos 1986 People Power uprising which culminated in Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee administering the oath of office of President Corazon C. Aquino.

Coincidentally, Betty’s maternal great-great-grandfather Mariano Velasco Chua Chengco was a 19th century pioneer retail taipan who once became the Manila employer of a young immigrant from Fujian named Jose Cojuangco or Co Guioc Huang, who eventually moved to Malolos, Bulacan before finally settling down to Tarlac province. Jose Cojuangco I became the patriarch of the landed political and economic clan, and the great-grandfather of Betty’s close friend President Cory C. Aquino.

Prayer Partner Of President Cory C. Aquino During Military Coups

Former President Cory C. Aquino narrated: "I was privileged to have been a friend of the late Betty Go Belmonte, a woman of great faith who prayed not only in words but also with deeds. This is what I want the rest of the Filipino people to learn from her, to pray with words and with deeds. She always called me to pray for me and with me, especially during the coup attempts against my government. She would always tell me that everything will go well. She never resented that I sued some officials of The Philippine Star, and she still remained my friend. When I was President, I always visited her during her birthday on December 31. On her last birthday in 1993, I called to say I was again visiting her to spend her birthday with her, she said never mind because she was very sick, but I still visited and I could sense that she was in pain. I felt very bad. Unfortunately when she died, I was in South Korea. We communicated really well with each other. We’d somehow pray together over the phone, especially in times of crises like the coup attempts."

President Aquino related: "Betty Go Belmonte made me feel that I could call on her anytime. I consider her one of my best friends. When she portrayed me in the Gridiron of the National Press Club, she explained that she wanted to be sure that whatever will be said in the satirical plays would be good about me. I became a good friend, but we actually just met after the assassination of Ninoy Aquino.I guess we became good friends, because we both shared great faith in God. Betty was so selfless. By the way, we were both born in the same year 1933, my birthday is in January and hers was on December 31."

Fair In Business, Movie Fan, Child-Like Christian Faith

The Cosmopolitan Church led by Rev. Dr. Oscar S. Suarez and its Vesper Choir conducted by Panfilo Baroja presided over the memorial service. In his eloquent message, Reverend Suarez described the service as "a celebration and thanksgiving, because of the many lives around us which were blessed by the love of the late Betty Go Belmonte."

The Philippine Star publisher Max Soliven said: "She was our inspiration. Without Betty Go Belmonte, there would have been no Philippine Star, no Philippine Daily Inquirer, no free press in the Philippines.

Betty was first to go to Edsa in 1986, earlier than me. She was the saint and I’m the sinner, that’s why we always had this good balance in the The Philippine Star."

Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo said: "Betty was my very good friend. She was a very saintly and generous lady. I didn’t think she had a mean spirit in her. You could entrust your life to her without reservation. I hope we can have more Betty Go Belmontes."

Atty. Florencio Tan Mallare, publisher of major Chinese-language newspaper World News, said: "Betty Go Belmonte was a very good family friend of ours. As a successful media entrepreneur, she was always very fair and honest in her dealings. When we established World News in 1981, we rented our offices at the back of The Philippine Star in Port Area. Years later when our lease contract ended, she invited me to a meeting at Manila Hotel and she offered to extend our lease, telling me to name our rate of increase. She did not haggle, she approved our rental offer! When martial law was declared, her father’s Chinese newspaper Fookien Times was closed. I used to work for the rival Chinese Commercial News. Later when Marcos was gone, she repeatedly expressed the wish to revive her dad’s newspaper Fookien Times. Years later, Betty founded Philippine Star’s sister publications Business Star and Evening Star, making me her investor and later her chairman of the board. If not for her untimely demise, these ventures could have continued. She was a very talented businesswoman and very fair."

The Philippine Star entertainment editor Ricky Lo said: "Betty Go Belmonte was many things to many people. But to me, Tita Betty will always be a movie fan. The Star, unlike other papers, gives as much importance to the entertainment section as it does to other "more important" sections (World News, Business, Opinion Page, etc.). Because Tita Betty loved showbiz in the same way that she loved helping the needy and the sick, and giving pieces of Bible-inspired advice to the problem-laden. Her several movie magazines launched the journalism careers of people like Douglas Quijano, Lolit Solis and many others. Tita Betty was also the self-appointed defender of the stars. Everytime she read something negative in my Funfare column, she’d gently call my attention to it and the following day write a piece in her Pebbles column in defense of the "offended" star... A lot of readers would ask me who the stars in the "blind items" were and, as far as I can remember, Tita Betty asked me only once... "It’s our Kris, isn’t she?" Tita Betty teased me. Tita Betty has gone somewhere where the stars shine brighter and will never dim with her illuminating presence."

Former Quezon City Vice-Mayor Charito Planas said: "She was my colleague in the Sigma Delta Phi at UP, Betty was very quiet and so much full of love for others. She never criticized others, for her everything was good."

Daughter-in-law Isa Belmonte, wife of Isaac, said that Betty was a very loving grandmother to her grandkids, whom she often mentioned in her Pebbles column. She said: "Her spirituality always found something positive in everything. When she was very sick, our son Paulo vividly remembered her grandmother on a wheelchair, always looking at him and smiling."

Adrian Cristobal of the Unyon Ng Mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL), the country’s biggest writers association, said: "It was only later that I learned about Betty’s piety, which is the greater legend about her: the breathtaking courage of her faith in the face of all the vicissitudes, especially illness and death.... She was the only person I know who approached to saintliness in her dealings with people – even the most exasperating kind of people – and above all, in the confrontation with death. Many of us can never understand the strength of her faith but we cannot but stand astonished before it."

Former Senator Jovito Salonga said: "I know several persons in this terrible sinful world who are saints. Betty Go Belmonte was one of them. She deserves to live beyond the grave... To paraphrase William James, the famous philosopher – The best argument I know for an immortal life is the existence of a person who deserves it richly?

Jaime Cardinal Sin, retired Archbishop of Manila, said: "About Betty, it matters not how long we live; what matters before God is how we live. Betty lived a very short life. But there is no doubt that it was a meaningful life, lived for the service of all men and women, lived for the sole glory of God. She was a valiant and strong woman, who was loved by everybody and who loved everybody. For her, there were no Christians or Muslims, Catholics or Protestants, Asians or Europeans; there were only brothers and sisters to be loved and cared for and lived for."

Mayor Sonny Belmonte recalled that Betty Go Belmonte was the most devoted wife, giving up management of The Philippine Star for one month in order to campaign with him in the election. During martial law, he and Betty had a lot of time spent with their children, from going to church together, watching Godzilla movies together to going to school with the kids together. He recounted how Betty got to know Cory after Ninoy Aquino was assassinated. Their daughter Joy and some other Ateneo classmates of Kris Aquino visited their home in Times Street, Quezon City, and Betty then scribbled a note of sympathy for the widow. Then Cory invited Betty over and they became good friends. As a wife, Betty never criticized her in public, although he jokingly said that they would sometimes argue at home. He cited her well-known faith in God, that she never once doubted God’s guidance.

Mayor Belmonte said: "Her faith in God was so strong, it was strong enough for both of us. To the end of her life, it was her firm decision not to consult medical doctors to cure her illness. We were all around her when she passed away. Up to now, if you look at The Star, her values and personality are all over The Philippine Star. Even the Chinese community has honored her. Her many other friends have honored her memory. Up to this day, ordinary people would walk up to me, telling me how Betty had helped their loved ones who were sick or were in dire need of assistance."

Mayor Sonny Belmonte recalled: "Betty would sometimes say to me – ‘I wish I didn’t love you and the children that much, because I should put all my love in God.’

The legacy of my wife Betty Go Belmonte is her strong Christian faith, and we have not lost our faith."

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