Nawalan ng isang ina at haligi ang industriya ng pelikulang Tagalog.
Kahapon, bandang tanghali, ay kumalat na ang balitang pumanaw si Mother Lily Monteverde.
Ilang araw nang nasa Intensive Care Unit si Mother Lily.
Noong Sabado lang inilibang ang mister niyang si Mr. Leonardo Monteverde na kilala sa showbiz na si Father Remy.
Namatay si Father Remy noong July 29.
Naaalala si Father Remy bilang isang mapagmahal na asawa ni Mother Lily, isang haligi ng lakas at gabay sa kanyang mga anak, at isang minamahal na lolo at lolo sa tuhod.
Habang si Mother Lily ay tumatak ang pagiging mabait at nanguna sa paggawa ng malalaking pelikulang Tagalog na nagpasikat sa maraming artista sa bansa.
Samantala, narito ang official statement ng pamilya Monteverde sa pagpanaw ni Mother Lily.
“Our mother, Lily Yu Monteverde, ended her journey at 3:18 AM this morning (August 4, 2024) to join our Creator.
“Throughout her years she has not only been a mother to her children but also the “Mother” to so many generations of Filipino filmmakers who have helped define what Philippine cinema is today.
“Even to her final years, Mother Lily has served as one of the cornerstones of the movie industry, providing opportunities to filmmakers -- both creative and technical -- to carve their names in our popular history.
“Yet behind this veneer of accomplishment, Mother Lily was not merely a matriarch and the face of Regal Films but a true mother to artists and workers who had the chance to know her beyond the confines of work.
“Mother Lily was surrounded by her children and grandchildren in her final hours. She was blessed with the chance to say goodbye to her closest friends and associates who bid her farewell yesterday before she left for that trip back home to the Divine Father.
“The family is at peace now that their mother has not only found rest but has joined their father Remy in that place called eternity - as they were together in life as they will remain together where there is no space or time.
“The Monteverde family are requesting for your prayers and to cherish the memory of Mother Lily not only as a face of cinema but as a loving mother who she truly was... and will always be forever.
“The wake and memorial service will start August 5, Monday, 3:30pm until August 9 at 38 Valencia Events Place, Quezon City. The interment will be on August 10 at The Heritage Park, Taguig,” ayon sa opisyal na pahayag ng buong Monteverde family.
Ang legacy ng mag-asawang magkasunod na pumanaw ay nabubuhay sa pamamagitan ng kanyang mga anak, si Roselle, na nagpapatuloy sa tradisyon ng pamilya sa Regal Films; Dondon, na gumawa ng kanyang marka sa industriya sa Reality Films, at Coach Goldwin, na namumuno sa UP Fighting Maroons, Winston at Sherida, na namamahala ng Imperial Palace Suites.
Agad ding nagpaabot ng pakikiramay ang samahan ng entertainment editors na leading broadsheets, tabloids and entertainment portals – ang Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd) na karamihan sa miyembro ay naging malapit sa puso ni Mother Lily.
“The Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd) is heartbroken over the passing of a beloved pillar of the entertainment industry, Regal Films matriarch Mother Lily Monteverde.
“True to her name Mother was not just a maternal figure to her Regal Babies as a longtime and prolific producer and advocate of Filipino movies, but also to the Entertainment press and many editors with whom she forged genuine and close relationships.
“We will always remember Mother full of life, humor and laughter.
Matagal nang hindi nakikialam si Mother Lily sa Regal Entertainment.
Hinding-hindi maaring balewalain ang pangalan ni Mother Lily sa movie industry.
Isa siyang haligi at nakakabit na ang pangalang Mother Lily Monteverde sa sining at kultura ng pelikulang Pilipino.
Taong 1962 nang itatag niya ang nasabing movie company na pinamahalaan niya ng more than 60 years.
Pero nang magkaroon siya ng karamdaman dahil na rin sa edad ipinasa niya sa anak (Roselle) ang baton at nagpapatuloy upang makamit at matupad ang vision at pangarap ng ina para sa Regal na nakapag-produce ng napakaraming pelikula at nagpasikat ng maraming artista.
Maraming salamat sa lahat, Mother Lily.