Wife is beautiful at 70, thus said Mother Lily who marks a milestone today, Aug. 19. On this  special day, the Regal Films matriarch doesn’t want to celebrate with a lavish party. “Life is hard these days so maybe I’ll just have a simple lunch or dinner with my family, and donate whatever I’m going to save to my favorite charities,” she said Saturday night during an intimate interview at her residence in Northeast Greenhills.

Turning 70 is definitely a feat and if she has to follow Chinese tradition she would have to celebrate with a big party. But Mother Lily wants a simple but meaningful celebration this time. She’d rather “Maybe I will just go visit the nuns at the Assumption Convent.”

In the interview, she said she doesn’t really want to dwell on her past struggles and achievements anymore, the fact that she started out as a movie and basketball fanatic who would defy her parents and the nuns in her school just to go watch movie premieres and basketball games where her would-be husband Leonardo “Remy” Monteverde who she said she courted and not the other way around played (her parents did not like him so for being disobedient she wasn’t given any dowry as was the Chinese tradition), her first job as purchasing manager of Montemarte Dept. store with a monthly salary of P300, her first fruitful business as popcorn vendor with a just P1,500 capital which was the same amount she paid Pitoy Moreno for her wedding gown, her first venture as film distributor (from a P10,000 loan from her late brother Jesus Yu, she bought the rights to the tearjerker “All Mine to Give” which was a huge box-office hit and shown for one whole year, the proceeds of which gave her enough capital to make movies.

“Huwag na tungkol dito, these were written about many times in the past already. I just want to look forward to the future, I just would like to look ahead, plan my course of action which of course would entail non-stop movie production. I want to continue to help our movie industry by producing more movies and discovering more stars.”

Mother Lily as a producer and movie fan

She may have done her share in building stars but Mother Lily has remained a movie fan at heart. “I was a big Nida-Nestor fan before and I love Gloria Romero too. Now I am excited to finally Sharon Cuneta doing a film with Regal because I have always admire her intelligence, work ethics and loyalty.

Despite the low times in Philippine movies, Mother Lily remains very upbeat and active. “Filmmaking now is very expensive, but this is my life, and this is my commitment to the industry,” she said. She will continue to work with the best directors, writers, actors and filmmakers to carry on Regal’s legacy in quality and trendsetting filmmaking which will hit 50 years by next year.

Mother Lily said, “till the end of my end, I’ll be producing movies and looking for potential stars.” She is credited for having built most of the country’s big stars now, who she called her Regal Babies. At the moment she has Marian Rivera as her biggest star and Carla Abellana as her bet for future stardom.
Marian is the star of Regal Films’ latest offering “Tarot” which opens in theaters nationwide next week. Marian co-stars with Dennis Trillo in this horror flick directed by Jun Lana from a script by Jun Lana and Elmer Gatchalian.

Carla, who is the daughter of actor PJ Abellana, and granddaughter of veteran actress Delia Razon, is of course the star of the Philippine version of the Mexican telenovela “Rosalinda” which is being shown on GMA-7. Carla will also make her film debut soon. “I am happy to be working with the most promising young stars and filmmakers. They keep the industry alive with their fresh ideas and active presence. I also love to work with the best directors: Chito Roño, Joel Lamangan, Maryo J. delos Reyes, Joey Reyes and the other awardwinning directors who’ve made Regal to what it is today.”

Health is wealth

Always known to be a health buff, Mother Lily always says “health is wealth.” And so she continues her health regimen everyday. She jogs around Greenhills for about two hours then spends another hour or two at her own gym. Unlike before when she has two cellphones that keep her abreast with business deals for the day in her walk, “ngayon hindi na, I just get to finish my jogging and gym before I get down to the day’s business schedules.

“I’m not getting younger so I have to enjoy life too, especially with my family.” Mother Lily has seven grandchildren, the oldest of whom Kenneth M. Teo recently graduated from law school in the States. She’s very proud of him of course, and while attending his graduation rites, she proudly texted all her friends in Manila to let them know about it.

Mother as a wife, mother and grandmother to seven

Her love story is one for the books (and is even movie material) and Mother Lily has remained a loving partner to her husband Remy. “My parents may have been against our marriage but I was able to stand by my man and I can say that he’s worth it. He may not have known how to speak Chinese at that time (I was the one who taught him to) but we spoke the real language of love. We have kept our connection and are still very much in love until now,” she said.

How could a marriage between two opposing characters work? “He has smiling eyes, he’s the quiet type, my exact opposite because I’m noisy. But I have mellowed and have been more understanding of him. He also understands me despite my quirks and in fairness to me, I have become more loving and sensitive of his needs too.”

She added: “We’re still very much in love until now. Our love is founded on deep respect and care for each other.”

Mother Lily may be a mom to many, but she is biologically the mother of five children: Winston, Roselle, Sherida, Ronald, Stephen and Goldwyn. She has built a house in Greenhills that would be a haven of sorts for her children and her grandchildren.

“I have always envisioned a family that lives together and is always there for each other; that’s why, I have constructed a house that can fit everyone of us so that everyday would be like a family reunion.” It is a joy for Mother Lily to play the drums and piano during family gatherings. It is also her crowning glory whenever she attends graduations and recognition days of her apos who are her new sources of inspiration and yes, youth!

Mother as  a businesswoman

At her age, she remains a hands-on businesswoman with an average of seven to eight meetings a day, but she knows what’s happening to her businesses. From selling popcorn to consigning and selling blouses and soon, engaging in film distribution and film and TV production, to putting up her own pre-school and her real estate companies with the Imperial Palace Suites as the heart of the Quezon City events. Mother Lily is still very much into new ventures, expansion and yes, quality maintenance of her businesses.

“My secret: I get into the core of operations. I put myself in a situation that I know my business inside out –  and if anything fails, I should have the capacity to take over because I have mastered all the details and demands of the trade,” Mother Lily, the business tycoon, said.

Mother as a woman

Through it all, Mother Lily is the personality that she is because she is a consummate woman who, despite her busy schedules and various preoccupations, still engages and looks forward to every empowered woman’s desire for an active, peaceful, fun-filled and meaningful life – that starts with jogging every morning for physical fitness, eating her favorite food, keeping her circle of loyal and really tried and tested friends and keeping her meaningful existence but quietly helping other people through her various charities and personal sharing of her blessings – sans any publicity and political agenda in mind.

Truly, Mother Lily pushes 70 into a meaningful and heartfelt fashion and passion – the fashion for good taste and good life which we all aspire for, and the passion to do and stay good all the time.

Happy birthday, Mother Lily, you truly inspire us!

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, Aug. 19, go to political leader Conrado Estrella, Atty. Mar Santiago, Tonton Young, Nancy Harel, Manuel Bediones, Celine Africa, Maribel Lopez, my niece Dulce Palma-Friedman of California, Manuel Ablan, Dr. Liz Torres-Reyes, AJ Siytangco, Ernie Duque, Lanie Q. Doliente, Rommel Mendoza, Elizabeth Diaz, Letlet Veloso, Lit del Rosario, Merlita V. Macahindog, Magin Belarmino, John Lloyd M. Ersaga, Ella Guevarra, Jereck of QTV, Henry G. Babiera, top antique dealer in Southeast Asia and considered the “tiangge king;” Manuel Canta Tanael, successful junk shop dealer in Puerto Princesa, Taiwan-based Loida Lagana-Huang, Iwa Moto, Randy Ortiz and MB’s Rey Panaligan...