Is Mother Lily a fool for love?
Her voice, her laughter is unmistakable.
When you enter her lavish residence in Greenhills, San Juan and she flashes that winsome smile, you instantly feel part of the family that’s been considered royalty for more than half a century of Philippine entertainment.
Best of all, you instantly feel as if you’re talking to your mother.
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Well, in fact, she is one everyone looks up to as a mother, given that special title only she can own: Mother Lily, the industry's endearment to Lily Chu-Monteverde, film producer and businesswoman.
Deserving of accolades and love
And, when I encountered Mother up close, I realized she is one person who deserves the accolades and respect—and the warmth and love—from all the hundreds of showbiz personalities she helped through the years.
Meeting her more than three years ago for a cover story in the Sunday Inquirer Magazine was an experience that went beyond meeting an entertainment legend.
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She asked if was tired from my trip from Parañaque to her home in Greenhills. She asked if I had eaten, or if I would care for the late afternoon snack she prepared.
A merienda to remember
Yes, it was a simple merienda, but it was the best I had in years. That fresh lumpia she served—rolled in that distinctive green wrapper very popular in the area—eventually became my favorite. It turned me from being an unapologetic meat lover to one whose eyes were opened to a healthy, delicious alternative.
It really helped that the interview was held in the dining room and kitchen, with her daughter Roselle and son Dondon joining us for the snack as Mother Lily talked about her love affair with showbiz.
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“Marami nagsasabi luka-luka ako. Na gumagawa ako mga pelikula na alam ko di ako kikita” Mother Lily told me.
“Dati iniiyakan ko ng tatlong araw kapag nalulugi ang pelikula,” she adds. “Pero pagkatapos dalawa, isang araw na lang. Ngayon, pinagtatawanan ko na lang.”
‘Money isn’t everything’
But just like a “fool” in love, Mother says she never looks back after giving the go-signal to any project she green-lights.
“Money isn’t everything. You can always find a way to get it back,” she says.
She knows where she stands, being the scion of a wealthy family, and willingly lost it all in the name of love.
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Her father, copra magnate Domingo Chu, left her to fend for herself without any dowry after deciding to marry Remy Monteverde, a college basketball star from San Beda. As Remy’s wife, she got into odd jobs but eventually worked for her father-in-law as purchasing manager of Montemarte Department Store.
Showbiz by way of the popcorn biz
She saved all her earnings to put up a popcorn business, spending P3000 to buy two popcorn machines, to sell them at the Podmon Theater in Sta. Cruz, Manila. That was where movies of her idols—especially Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa—would play. She then opened another successful stand in Cherry Foodarama in Mandaluyong.
Then, using the earnings she got from these businesses plus a “generous” loan she got from her brother Jesus, she went on to live her dream of actually working in the entertainment industry.
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She opened Regal Films in 1958 as a distributor of Hollywood films. The company spent P7000 to purchase the rights to exhibit the U.S. film “All Mine To Give,” its first re-issue, in the Philippines. The film went on to earn P500,000 in the box office.
Used all her earnings in first movie
Because her gamble for love paid off, she took a further step: using all her earnings from the distribution business to venture into local film production, she produced “Magsikap: Kayod sa Araw, Kayod sa Gabi.” Released in 1974 and starring Gina Pareno and Elizabeth Oropesa, the movie raked in P4 million from a production budget of P400,000.
The rest was history, with Regal Films becoming the biggest film studio in the country, churning out blockbuster after blockbuster during the heyday of Philippine cinema from the 1970s to 1980s.
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The production she is proudest, she says, is “Sister Stella L,” the Vilma Santos starrer directed by Ishmael Bernal, the “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” series that continues to this day, and the “Mano Po” franchise, which she says is her “gift to the industry.”
Fan to the end
Even as local movies have become seasonal fare and box office revenues have declined, Mother Lily still has big plans for the industry. Aside from ambitious film projects, she plans to open a film school in the old Regal Films lot in Quezon City to educate and nurture new and rising filmmakers.
And, despite present concerns regarding her health, Mother Lily will surely remain steadfast.
“Till the end of my life, I want to produce movies. I’m a fan, remember?”
