Mercedes Gotianun, Filinvest matriarch, 94

MANILA, Philippines — Mercedes Gotianun – who co-founded the Filinvest Group together with her husband, the late Andrew Gotianun passed away at the age of 94, the Filinvest Group said in a statement yesterday.

She was chairperson emerita of Filinvest Development Corp. until her death on Dec. 11.

“Widely admired for her work ethic, she was known to be organized, determined, and energetic. She persevered to accomplish her goals extraordinarily,” Filinvest Group said.

Gotianun – “Chita” to friends and family – graduated valedictorian in both elementary and high school from the College of the Holy Spirit.

She was a consistent university scholar through four years of college before graduating magna cum laude with a BS Pharmacy degree from the University of the Philippines. Gotianun was also a member of the Sigma Delta Phi sorority.

As a business leader, she was the first woman president of a Philippine universal bank, having co-founded and led Family Bank and Trust Co. in the ’70s and ’80s, the precursor to BPI Family Savings Bank.

Gotianun was honored as a Legacy Awardee by GoNegosyo’s Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneurs Awards in 2017 for her achievements as a woman leader in the Philippine business arena. She also received the Mariang Maya award from Sigma Delta Phi, an award given to distinguished and accomplished members of the sorority.

“Andrew and Chita’s harmonious synergy created a fruitful conglomerate now known as Filinvest Development Corporation. Now, among the country’s major conglomerates with interest in Filinvest Land and Filinvest Alabang for land development, East West Bank for universal banking and Davao and North Cotabato Sugar Central. Hotels under the Crimson and Quest brands and power generation under Filinvest Utilities and infrastructure in the Clark International Airport among other new ventures,” Filinvest also said.

She was the eldest among eight siblings, often described as a fierce protector of the family showing her maternal side even during the early years of her life.

Gotianun is survived by her siblings, Eduardo, Zenaida, Blesilda and Domingo, Victor and Nenita, Benjamin and Elizabeth, and Celia. Her family includes children, Bibot (deceased) and Marivic, Jonathan and Cristina, Josephine and Joseph, and Michael, her grandchildren and great grandchildren.