Betty Go-Belmonte
Betty Go-Belmonte | |
|---|---|
| 吳友德 | |
| Born | Billie Mary Chua Go December 31, 1933 |
| Died | January 28, 1994 (aged 60) Quezon City, Philippines |
| Alma mater | University of the Philippines Diliman (BA) Claremont Graduate School (MA) |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, newspaper publisher |
| Employer | STAR Group of Companies |
| Known for | Co-founder, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star and Pilipino Star Ngayon |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, including Joy |
Billie Mary "Betty" Chua Go-Belmonte (Chinese: 吳友德; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gô͘ Iú-tek; pinyin: Wú Yǒudé;[1] December 31, 1933 – January 28, 1994) was a Filipina journalist and newspaper publisher. She established the STAR Group of Publications which publishes the national newspaper, The Philippine Star and The Freeman, the tabloids Pilipino Star Ngayon, Pang-Masa, and Banat, as well as the magazines Starweek, People Asia, and The Fookien Times Yearbook.[2][3]
A
Early life
Belmonte was the eldest child of Jaime Go Puan Seng (1906–1987), founder of the Filipino-Chinese newspaper
Education
After the war, Billie Mary Go and her siblings took their elementary studies at Kamuning Public School and Hope Christian High School, and their high school studies at the Philippine Christian Colleges and
In UP, Betty Go experienced prejudice for being a
After finishing college, Go attended Claremont Graduate School for her master's degree in English and American literature.[2][6]
Career
Betty Go's father, Jaime Go Puan Seng, founded The Fookien Times in 1927, which was once the biggest Filipino-Chinese newspaper in the Philippines. During the 1930s, the newspaper was known for exposing government anomalies and corruption, which led to
Her father saw her as his heir in managing the newspaper. After finishing her master's degree abroad, she was employed at the company as an assistant to the editor. She proofread articles and proved herself to be a very capable newspaper manager and publisher, with a deep sense of commitment and ethics.[2][6]
Martial law
During the administration of
In the early '80s, when Marcos eased restrictions on publications, Belmonte started a small monthly magazine called The Star, a predecessor of
On 9 December 1985, following the demand for a credible and independent broadsheet, Belmonte, together with
The Philippine STAR
After the EDSA Revolution that toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines, questions finances and divergence of priorities caused a rift among Inquirer's publishers that led Belmonte and Soliven to leave the newspaper and to establish their own broadsheet. Belmonte was perceived as affecting the newspaper's credibility and was asked to leave. She left the newspaper even as its publishers owed her money which was used to put up Inquirer.[2][3]
On March 17, 1986, Belmonte established her own
Philanthropy
As chairman of STAR, Belmonte was active in various corporate social responsibility activities. In the STAR's maiden issue, the day's biggest news was the death of 23-year-old Stephen Salcedo at the hands of Marcos loyalists, just because he was wearing yellow. The headline screamed, "Wear yellow and die," and was accompanied by photos of the mob beating Salcedo to death. For several days, the paper closely followed the story and, through photos, those responsible were eventually caught.[9][10]
The story touched Belmonte so much that she extended financial (from donations solicited through her column "Pebbles") and emotional support to Salcedo's widow and children.[10] This laid the foundation of Operation Damayan, the STAR's corporate social responsibility arm, which was formed in 1989 and would help thousands of communities in the Philippines during natural disasters and calamities.[9]
Belmonte was also involved in other civic associations. She was president of the Quezon City Associated Ladies Foundation, Inc., governor of the
Personal life and death
Belmonte was married to
Belmonte was a devout
She died in Quezon City on January 28, 1994, due to
See also
Philippines portal
Journalism portal
References
- ISBN 978-981-4345-21-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Lopez, Jade (2012). "Betty Go-Belmonte: A Filipino Chinese Breaking Barriers". Review of Women's Studies. University of the Philippines Diliman. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Yu, Doreen G. (July 28, 2011). "The beginnings of The Philippine STAR". Philstar.com. Manila, Philippines: Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- ^ "10 Best Cheap Hotels Near Betty Go-Belmonte Station - Hotels.com". uk.hotels.com. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
- ^ a b "Betty Go Belmonte; Newspaper President, 60". The New York Times. 30 January 1994. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ramirez, Joanne Rae (28 January 2014). "20 years later, Betty Go-Belmonte shines on". The Philippine Star). Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Star's Betty Go-Belmonte dies". The Manila Standard. 29 January 1994. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ a b "History". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ The Philippine STAR. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
- ^ The Philippine STAR. Archived from the originalon August 3, 2016.
- ^ de la Cruz, Jovee Marie (8 October 2015). "Speaker Feliciano 'Sonny' Belmonte Jr.: Began serving the people at age 25". BusinessMirror. Retrieved 13 July 2023.