We believe in our people and our truth
Philstar Media Group President and CEO Miguel Belmonte waxes nostalgic and hopeful as The Philippine STAR turns 38
MANILA, Philippines — “I define a leader as anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.”~ Brené Brown
Some people would look at Miguel G Belmonte (MGB) and see many things: son of a topnotch journalist and a former House Speaker, brother of an incumbent mayor, or quite simply, a family man who was once a hotelier.
To this writer – and the rest of the more than 600 employees of the Philstar Media Group (PMG), MGB is our president and CEO who stays until 9 p.m. every night to wait for the next day’s headline; who turns off all the lights and AC units as he walks out of the building; and who can walk around for hours, soda cup in hand, because that is how masinop he is.
MGB is the president and CEO who would make time to greet and spend time with visitors at our office, no matter how busy he is. He will even remind you to be careful about your stride when taking the stairs. He also sits at the Board of other companies, yet he’ll stay with you if you need to share something with him — and give you his full energy and attention.
For Miguel Belmonte, though, he is simply the son of Betty Go-Belmonte, founder of The Philippine STAR. As The STAR turns 38, MGB – aware that his mom might not have approved of all the decisions he made to keep the paper afloat – muses on the main reasons The STAR is still number one: the people and its values.
Journalists, Visionaries
“July is the anniversary of Philippine STAR, and also BusinessWorld and Freeman in Cebu,” he begins as he sits to chat with us in our beautiful executive conference room at our sleek new building. “There are a lot of things for us to celebrate and be grateful for every time we have these anniversaries,” he adds with a huge grin.
Belmonte joined The STAR when he was only 23 years old, at the prodding of his mother Betty. He had come from working at the Mandarin Oriental, and was immediately tasked to handle personnel.
“Some members of the team – like our editor-in-chief Amy Pamintuan and our lifestyle editor Millet Mananquil were already here, and there are so many others in the company who – like us – grew up here.”
Belmonte saw the organization go through its valleys, like years of losing money or paydays where they did not have the funds to pay the salaries of the employees.
The thing is, The STAR was founded with bravery as its foundation. There were two other broadsheets at the time who seemed to have captured the market. But Betty Go-Belmonte and her partners Max Soliven and Art Borjal refused to let go of their vision: for there to be a neutral newspaper that did not thrive on negativity. They focused on the good news and did not harp on the bad even if they had to report it.
Eventually, Louie Beltran joined The STAR’s core, and all four were up to the fight.
“If it were me, I may not have ventured into the business anymore,” he admits. “But visionaries like my mom and her partners – they really were journalists before they were businessmen. They loved what they were doing.”
Past the birth pains, The STAR made its way to its peak and has adopted the innovative mindset to stay there. “Today, we are more successful than any of the other companies, we are bigger than all of them,” he says with quiet confidence. “All of our titles are still around and thriving.”
“Through the years, we made good decisions. We really believe when we pray for God’s guidance. The Lord really showed us the way, because it was a tough battle from day one. Thirty eight years later, we are still here.”
Belmonte shares that his dad – former House Speaker Sonny Belmonte (who is not a man of flowery words and is very “stingy” with compliments) – would always tell him: “You know, Miguel, you’ve already taken The STAR way beyond the vision of your mom.”
At this point, he pauses as a catch forms in his throat. “It’s the greatest compliment when he says that to me,” he says afterwards, like any son who realizes he has made his parents proud. “And he has said that to me more than once.”
“I hope my mom is happy and proud with what we have done with her newspaper.”
Star light, star bright
Today, The Philippine STAR is the flagship title of Philstar Media Group (PMG), joined by fellow multiawarded publication BusinessWorld, among others.
With the help of other company leaders, Belmonte leads the way for The STAR’s transformation from being a newspaper company to being a multimedia, omnichannel news and content leader.
“From a marketing point of view, we like to describe our readers as people who wnordk hard but they also know how to enjoy life,” he says. “That’s why we have had great success in our lifestyle and entertainment.”
MGB credits the success of The STAR to its people; the quality and loyalty of its staff; and the joint effort of everyone moving in the same direction. “That is part of the secret of our success. Not all companies enjoy that kind of solid teamwork,” he muses.
“The culture of the company has a lot to do with it. If the staff feels that the owners or the management of the company sincerely care for their careers, families, and livelihood, everybody is inspired to do their best.”
He pauses to look around the new STAR office at Amvel Business Park, Sucat. “I’m very proud about the fact that we are here, in this beautiful area, in this beautiful office building,” he says. “I would never have believed that we could do it (as The STAR had grown accustomed to its old offices in Port Area, Manila where it operated for close to 40 years). This is almost like a dream that I can’t believe we’ve actually achieved.”
That said, MGB’s feet are firmly planted on the ground. He admits that the industry is undergoing great change like never before. “Our competitors used to be fellow broadsheets, and in that field The STAR always knew how to play and win. Today, in the digital space and in the advent of AI, everybody from anywhere in the world is a competitor.
“It’s hard to tell what the future holds,” he admits. “Everyone’s on trial and error, and we are relying a lot on our young staff.”
“I always say that – from this point on – the young 20-year-olds or 30-year-olds hold the future of the company in their hands. We’re just here to guide them along,” he says.
And it looks like the Philstar Media Group is on its way to being a serious contender not just on a national scale. The passion with which innovation is approached at every level in every business unit would send shivers up one’s spine:
Philstar NEXT, Truth on the Line, and many other programs are bound to take the media organization space to the next level.
The STAR is determined to continue shining bright.
A big ‘thank you’
Towards the end of our chat, we asked MGB what he would tell each and every employee, advertiser, and reader if he had the chance. It took less than a second for him to say, “Thank you.”
“We wouldn’t be where we are without any of you,” he adds.
For the employees whom he sees as family (and The STAR office, everyone’s second home), his message: “Love the company. Because whenever the company is successful, that success will be felt by everyone. Everybody will benefit, so let’s continue to help each other to achieve our goals.”
He adds, “Everybody who is here is important to the company and has a role to play. People are always the priority.”
To the advertisers, MGB reiterates his promise: “The STAR will deliver the best results for the business you entrust to us. We are very confident that our readership has the purchasing power and capability to buy your products and services.”
And to the readers: “It is a commitment from us to always do our best to give you the best possible product for your reading pleasure. To provide you information that is factual, accurate, and the truth.”
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