Lily Monteverde

{{Short description|Filipino film producer and businesswoman (1938-2024)}}

{{Infobox person

| image = File:Lily Monteverde and Loren Legarda.jpg

| caption = Monteverde (left) with Loren Legarda (right) in 2008

| name = Mother Lily
Lily Yu Monteverde

| birth_name = Lily Yu Chu

| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|8|19|df=y}}

| birth_place = Manila, Philippines

| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|8|4|1938|8|19|df=y}}

| death_place = Manila, Philippines

| resting_place = The Heritage Park, Taguig, Philippines

| native_name = 楊莉華

| native_name_lang = Chinese

| othername = Mother Lily

| occupation = Film producer, hotelier

| yearsactive = 1960–2024

| spouse = {{marriage|Leonardo "Remy" Monteverde||July 29, 2024|end=d.}}

| parents = Domingo Chu (father)

| children = 6, including Goldwin

}}

Lily Yu Chu-Monteverde{{cite web |access-date=June 23, 2024 |date=October 23, 2008 |website=pep.ph |publisher=Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) |url=https://www.pep.ph/lifestyle/17222/the-magic-of-mother-lily-and-her-kamison?s=29buq1r5fiq30m9hujgbog2b83 |title= The Magic of Mother Lily and her "kamison"}} (19 August 1938 – 4 August 2024), known as Mother Lily and professionally credited as Lily Yu Monteverde, was a Chinese Filipino film producer and businesswoman.

Monteverde was one of the first Filipina movie producers who produced many local blockbuster films under different genres in the 1970s and 1980s.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} She produced movies with Alma Moreno, Lorna Tolentino, Maricel Soriano, Snooky Serna and Dina Bonnevie starring as lead stars during that time. She also propelled Richard Gomez and Aga Muhlach's careers to greater heights in the early 1990s.

Career

File:Domingo_Yu_Chu_Mausoleum_16.jpg

Her father Yu Chu did not provide her with dowry after she decided to marry Leonardo, a San Beda University basketball star. In 1958, her brother Jesus granted her a loan to finance Regal Entertainment as distributor of Hollywood films, starting with her ₱7,000 film rights to All Mine to Give, which hit the ₱500,000 mark in the box office. In 1961, Monteverde, as adventurer earned ₱200 per day of work with her parent-in-law at Montemarte Department Store. With her two popcorn makers costing 3,000 pesos, she started her business as popcorn hawker at a Cherry Foodarama in Mandaluyong and at Good Earth Emporium at Rizal Avenue.{{cite news |last1= Grana |first1= Rhia |title=From Popcorn Seller to Movie Mogul: The Life of Mother Lily Monteverde|url= https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/arts-and-entertainment/mother-lily-monteverde-a7921-20240804|accessdate=August 9, 2024 |publisher= esquiremag.ph|date=August 4, 2024}}

Her very first 1974 Magsikap: Kayod sa Araw, Kayod sa Gabi sold P4 million from a P400,000 cost. Monteverde revealed that her top films include Sister Stella L., Shake, Rattle, and Roll and Mano Po.{{cite news |last1=Plaza |first1= Gerry|title=Is Mother Lily a fool for love?|url= https://news.yahoo.com/news/mother-lily-fool-love-083051529.html|accessdate=August 9, 2024 |publisher= yahoo.com|date=February 10, 2013}}

Monteverde produced nearly 300 films in the Philippines from the early 1960s. She operated Regal Entertainment for many years. The Mano Po film series, which began in 2002 and was produced by her filmmaking firm, paid tribute to her Chinese Filipino roots and became a hit in various local markets.{{cite web |url=https://tulay.ph/2019/11/26/tsinoys-in-pinoy-cinema/ |title=Tsinoys in Pinoy cinema |work=Tulay |last=Yu |first=Anson |date=November 26, 2019 |access-date=April 28, 2021}}

In August 1996 she invested much of her wealth into hotels in Quezon City.[https://archive.today/20130128044410/http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife03_aug18_2006 Philippines News – Manila Standard Today – Lily Y. Monteverde: The movie producer is also a hotelier- aug18_2006] She opened the Imperial Palace Suites on the site of an old gasoline station at the corner of Tomas Morato Avenue and Timog Avenue in Quezon City.

In 2000, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cinemanila International Film Festival.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} She also received the Fernando Poe, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award in the 37th Luna Awards in 2019, the Ina ng Pelikulang Pilipino Award in 2017 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 from the Film Development Council of the Philippines.{{cite web |url=https://www.pep.ph/pepalerts/pep-troika/147921/mother-lily-nova-villa-37th-luna-awards-a4118-20191201 |title=Mother Lily at Nova Villa, pinarangalan sa 37th Luna Awards |work=PEP.ph |date=December 1, 2019 |access-date=April 28, 2021}}{{Cite web |last=Mallorca |first=Hannah |date=2024-08-04 |title=Mother Lily Monteverde, Regal Entertainment matriarch, dead at 85 |url=https://entertainment.inquirer.net/569629/mother-lily-monteverde-regal-entertainment-matriarch-dead-at-85 |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Inquirer.net}}

My Future You was one of the last films greenlit by Monteverde. Her daughter Roselle Teo stated that the romantic comedy will honour her mother and father Leonardo "Remy".{{cite news |last1= Tomada|first1= |title=Roselle Monteverde honors Mother Lily in 50th MMFF entry 'My Future You'|url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2024/12/17/2407846/roselle-monteverde-honors-mother-lily-50th-mmff-entry-my-future-you |accessdate=December 17, 2024 |work= The Philippine Star|date=December 17, 2024}} Untold will now be the final film of Monteverde.{{Cite web |last=Mallorca |first=Hannah |date=2024-10-02 |title=Jodi Sta. Maria gets extra help from Kaori Oinuma, Lianne Valentin in ‘Untold’ |url=https://entertainment.inquirer.net/579530/jodi-sta-maria-gets-extra-help-from-kaori-oinuma-lianne-valentin-in-untold |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=INQUIRER.net |language=en}}

Personal life and death

Monteverde was born in Bicol to Domingo Yu Chu, a copra magnate, philanthropist, educator, and founder of the Shang Yi Zhong Xue Chinese school and Profetiza Buban Yu. She was the youngest of 12 siblings. She was the mother of five children, including UP Fighting Maroons men's basketball head coach Goldwin Monteverde.{{cite news |title=Lily Monteverde and her Midas touch in show business|url= https://entertainment.inquirer.net/569716/in-the-spotlight-lily-monteverde-and-her-midas-touch|accessdate=August 5, 2024 |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=August 5, 2024}}{{Cite web |date=2021-08-15 |title=New UP coach Goldwin Monteverde's 32-year wait is finally over |url=https://www.espn.ph/basketball/colleges/story/_/id/32026234/new-coach-goldwin-monteverde-32-year-wait-over |access-date=2022-05-22 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} Her husband, Leonardo "Remy" G. Monteverde (born December 21, 1936) owned several Art Deco theatres in Manila. He died of pneumonia on July 29, 2024, aged 87-88.{{cite news |last1= Antonio|first1=Josiah |title=Movie mogul 'Mother Lily' Monteverde passes away|url= https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/8/4/-asap-what-pushes-gary-valenciano-to-still-perform-1447|accessdate=August 4, 2024 |publisher= ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs|date=August 4, 2024}}

File:Uno_High_School_22.jpg)]]

She studied at St. Scholastica's College, Manila and Miriam College. Monteverde and her family resided in Greenhills, San Juan. She had seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild.{{cite news |last1=Mallorca |first1= Hannah |title=Mother Lily Monteverde honored by politicians, celebrities, filmmakers |url=https://entertainment.inquirer.net/569729/mother-lily-monteverde-honored-by-politicians-celebrities-filmmakers |accessdate=August 5, 2024 |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=August 5, 2024}}

Monteverde was a devout Roman Catholic, crediting the success of her company's films to God, stating in 1986 that "I pray hard, I don't believe in psychics and fortune tellers anymore. I have befriended my enemies and helped those who need help.... And now I'm positive about life. If I have personal problems, I keep them to myself and I pray hard to God."{{cite news|last=Salazar|first=Oskar|title=Questions for showbiz voters|work=Philippine Daily Inquirer|publisher=The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc.|date=February 6, 1986|page=6}}

Monteverde died in Manila on August 4, 2024, at the age of 85, less than a week after the death of her husband and 15 days before her 86th birthday.{{Cite web |last=Cruz |first=Marinel |date=2024-08-05 |title=Lily Monteverde, pillar of PH film industry; 84 |url=https://entertainment.inquirer.net/569713/lily-monteverde-pillar-of-ph-film-industry-84 |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=INQUIRER.net |language=en}} She was buried at the Heritage Park in Taguig.{{Cite web |last=Pasajol |first=Anne |date=2024-08-10 |title=Mother Lily Monteverde laid to rest in Taguig |url=https://entertainment.inquirer.net/570747/mother-lily-monteverde-laid-to-rest-in-taguig |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=INQUIRER.net |language=en}}

Awards

width="90%" class="wikitable sortable"
width="10%"\| Year ! width="20%"\| Award-giving body ! width="30%"\| Category ! width="30%"\| Work ! width="10%"\| Result
align="center"\| 2002 \|rowspan="2" align="left"\| Metro Manila Film Festival \|align="left" rowspan="2"\| Best Original Story (with Roy Iglesias) \|align="center"\| Mano Po[https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000431/2002 "Metro Manila Film Festival:2002"]. IMDB. Retrieved April 9, 2014. \|{{won}}
align="center"\| 2003 \|align="center"\| Mano Po 2: My Love[https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000431/2003 "Metro Manila Film Festival:2003"]. IMDB. Retrieved April 9, 2014. \|{{won}}

width="90%" class="wikitable sortable"

width="10%"| Year

! width="20%"| Award-giving body

! width="30%"| Category

! width="30%"| Work

! width="10%"| Result

align="center"| 2002

|rowspan="2" align="left"| Metro Manila Film Festival

|align="left" rowspan="2"| Best Original Story (with Roy Iglesias)

|align="center"| Mano Po[https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000431/2002 "Metro Manila Film Festival:2002"]. IMDB. Retrieved April 9, 2014.

|{{won}}

align="center"| 2003