Betty Go-Belmonte, the ‘star’ of The Philippine STAR

The Philippine STAR is 30 years old this week. The paper’s manager and staff have been writing about the enormous accomplishments of the paper. I feel proud to be part of this publication – made possible by the late Betty GoBelmonte, a personal friend, who asked me to write a column for the paper after I left another publication amid the pressures of press censorship. At that time, the STAR had been put up by Betty and the late Max Soliven and Art Borjal. What the STAR is now, still bearing the slogan, “Truth Shall Prevail” – embodies much of Betty’s personal moral conviction and belief about what responsible journalism is all about.

Allow me to quote from articles written about this journalism icon.

Wikipedia reveals that the STAR’s maiden issue carried the day’s biggest news – the death of 22-year-old Steven Rodriguez 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 Rodriguez to death. For several days, the paper closely followed the story and, through photos, those responsible were eventually caught.

“The story,” according to Wikipedia, “touched Belmonte so much that she extended financial ( from donations solicited through her column ‘ Pebbles’) and emotional support to Rodriguez’s widow and children. 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.” (Operation Damayan continues today, with the STAR’s president and CEO Miguel Belmonte as prime mover.)

Jade Lopez wrote a comprehensive article on Betty for the UP Diliman’s Review of Women’s Studies. The study is titled “A Filipino Chinese Breaking Barriers.”

It was Betty’s father, Go Puan Seng, who encouraged her to enter the newspaper business, wrote Jade. She had wanted first to be a missionary, then a painter, but her father, publisher of The Fookien Times, prevailed upon her to help in his publication, the Fookien Times. She assisted his editor proofread, and later helped edit and manage the paper. “So if I’m somebody known in journalism, it is not by my own doing,” Betty said.

Betty not only proved to be a very capable newspaper manager-publisher, but one with a deep sense of commitment and ethics, wrote Jade. “She usually takes a supportive stand on government programs which she feels will do the most good for the majority of the people. But she can be critical when she feels that government programs are wrong. Some have accused her of imposing her personal religious beliefs on the newspaper. Admittedly Betty’s faith is reflected in the STAR’s editorial policy and news emphasis, but it has nevertheless brought to the paper a sense of balance and fairness in covering news. Betty’s faith is reflected in the form of journalism that not only criticizes for criticism’s sake, but tries to help people think of solutions to problems.

“A sorority sister of mine once laughed at me when I was managing the Yearbook and Fookien Times because I tried to emphasize the positive side of things since the trend then and now is to be critical and cynical. But even when we try to do the positive, we still expose things that are wrong. I remember, the Manila Times reported how the Chinese General Hospital neglected a man who could not pay his bills immediately. The hospital let that man bleed to death. When I learned about it I had the story confirmed, then had it translated into Chinese and only then did I print the story in full. After that the CGH had to apologize; they were mad at us, but they apologized. Another time, my father was sued for exposing a white slavery ring where some important people were involved. Fortunately Judge Malcolm, who penned the decision, said it was wrong to imprison a journalist who was only doing his job. Exposing anomalies and corruption brought my father and the Fookien Times many enemies. People angry at us pushed for the closure of the paper during Martial Law. My father went into self-imposed exile after Marcos closed the paper. He went to Canada and the US to live with my brother and sisters. The paper was closed for 14 years; the Yearbook was not banned, but that was published only once a year. Sonny (her husband, Representative Feliciano Belmonte Jr.) and I stayed in the country throughout Martial Law. We had to depend on Sonny’s earnings as a lawyer to support the family. I remember Imelda Marcos had asked someone else to tell us she’d kick us out of the country, but I don’t scare easily. I am a Filipino and I have a right to live here.

“When Marcos eased restrictions on publications we opened a small monthly magazine, The Star, which I edited. We did out best to keep Ninoy’s memory alive. We followed the Agrava commission inquiry and interviewed members of the Aquino family. Because The Star was written in Pilipino, we were able to sell more copies than Mr. & Ms. In a way we were more successful than Mr. & Ms. because we had no powerful political backer. Mr. & Ms.’ backer was Juan Ponce Enrile. I would like to believe we had a stronger backer, the Lord. I remember we published an article by Jaime Ongpin which attacked Marcos. A news reporter of Marcos asked me if I was scared since I had no backer. I said I was not, the Lord said it was the right thing to do even if I had to do it on my own.”

According to Jade, one of Betty’s biggest handicap was her assumption that others, especially avowed

Christians and journalists abide by the same principles as herself. Betty’s friends tell of how many times Betty has helped many people through her paper and resources only to be betrayed and even slandered in the end. A co-founder of the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 1985, Betty was forced to leave by the very people who pretended to be her business partners. “I was told to leave the PDI because they claimed that I was affecting ‘the credibility of the newspaper.’ So I left. I was furious over the raw deal; so was Max Soliven. He was angry over the way his columns were cut without consulting him, especially since he was the publisher.”

“When Chino Roces, Art (Borjal) and Max (Soliven) asked me to put up the Philippine STAR in 1986, I agreed on certain conditions. First, that our paper should not follow the prevailing scoop mentality, but strive to be accurate and fair. I am supportive of Cory, and Max said he would agree as long as Cory did not steal on her own. Another policy I asked for was that we always present two sides to every story, and that if the paper was successful, we should not scream about it. I’ve always disliked papers which put up as their banner (the fact) that they are number one. The STAR is cautious with stories that involve the reputations of people. But when it comes to standing up to principles, we are bold. When other papers to refuse to name the victims and suspects, particularly if the suspects are important people, the STAR makes it a point to do so.’’

* * * As the STAR enters its 31st year of operation, it continues to abide by its slogan which Betty had thought up: “Truth Will Prevail.” Betty is one of Philippine journalism’s great icons. Email: dominitorrevillas@gmail.com