On the recent 60th anniversary of Regal Entertainment, Roselle Monteverde, the daughter of Regal matriarch Lily Monteverde who passed on last month, vowed to continue the legacy that Mother Lily started.
“I’m really delighted to see everyone here, friends from showbiz, media people, the artists who supported Regal for so many years,” said Roselle, who addressed all those who came to Valencia, Regal’s popular address where many of the events, media conferences and even Mother Lily’s wake were held.
“On behalf of Regal Entertainment, my siblings represented by my brother Dondon Monteverde, my sister Sherida Monteverde and my brother Goldwyn Monteverde, we strongly decided to carry on the legacy of Mother Lily,” Roselle told the guests.
In memory of the Regal founder, Mother Lily Monteverde, her children donated P1 million to Mowelfund. Joey Roa of Mowelfund (leftmost) receives the donation from Dondon, Roselle and Keith Monteverde.
“We cannot just let it go away, especially when we know seeds have been planted since she started as housewife in the entertainment industry, more than six decades ago.”
“As a movie fan and distributor of foreign films and finally, her greatest achievement as a movie producer, she took care of not only Regal, but actually the whole entertainment industry many times.
“She would always say, hindi dapat pabayaan ang pelikulang Pilipino. She nurtured that with education, love, compassion until her achievements became deeply rooted in a lot of people’s lives.”
From left: Seth Fedelin and Francine Diaz, stars of ‘My Future You,’ are pictured at the Regal Legacy event with Lovi Poe and Jameson Blake, who are topbilling ‘Guilty Pleasure.’ The latter film is co-produced by Regal and C’est Love Productions, Lovi’s own film outfit.
As Mother Lily’s daughter, Roselle felt very fortunate to have been mentored by her mom through all the 30 years that she has been with Regal.
“But I’m facing a big challenge,” Roselle attested. “How to make sure that we live not only through her memories and achievements, but moving forward to fortify this in the next decades and generations.
“My siblings and the whole of Regal are here to serve this industry and the Filipino audience worldwide. We will uphold to this day moving forward our commitment — as great as what was planted to continue the legacy of Mother Lily Monteverde.
“There’s reason why we’re here together today. The bigger reason. We’re here because we love what we do. We are here because we want to grow and live in this industry which has been our life, like Mother’s.”
She continued, “Through all of us here, I was always told, ito ang pamilya. Ang itinaguyod talaga ni Mother ay ‘yung pamilya niya sa entertainment industry. Hindi lang Regal, itinaguyod ni Mother ang pelikulang Pilipino.”
Roselle is undeniably thankful to her late parents — Leonardo and Lily Monteverde. “Mother Lily always said, ‘Kayo ang aking pamilya.’ We will continuously support each other and make not only Regal, but the whole entertainment industry, live on forever.
“That is the great Mother Lily legacy and that is now our Regal legacy.”
In memory of the Regal founder, the Monteverde siblings donated P1 million to Mowelfund.
“Mother Lily dedicated her whole life to the Philippine film industry,” said Dondon Monteverde. “We hope this amount will be a big help to the Mowelfund Film Institute in funding its projects. In this way, the legacy of Mother Lily lives on.”
The check was dated “Sept. 21, 2024” and given at Valencia, Quezon City.
Meanwhile, Roselle’s eldest of two children, lawyer Keith Monteverde, recently assumed the position of executive vice president (EVP) at Regal Entertainment.
“I love watching Filipino movies in the theater,” Keith attested. “Before, we had a small screen or theater at the back and that was the first time I saw ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ with my lola.
“It wasn’t just a big moment for me because my lola introduced me to my love for the movies. Obviously, growing up here in the Philippines as my childhood in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I got the chance to watch many of our iconic movies, both produced by Regal and other companies.”
However, Keith noted times have changed. “Movies are not as easy as they used to be. But we firmly believe this at Regal: Filipino films deserve to be shown on the biggest screens in cinema.
“We continue to find our place in theaters with our many friends and partners who are here today. Together, they help us push the industry forward.”
He then said that the three new films presented by Regal were the last films approved by his grandmother. “I’m incredibly, incredibly proud of these three films. I just want to thank everyone for making this possible,” he said.
As a lawyer, Keith is really looking forward to the first one in the lineup. “My legal life wasn’t really as raunchy but with pleasure, I’d like to introduce ‘Guilty Pleasure.’”
Megged by Connie Macatuno with Noreen Capili as screenwriter, “Guilty Pleasure” also marks the debut of Lovi Poe’s C’est Love Productions, as the outfit’s first co-production venture with Regal.
Lovi topbills the film with JM de Guzman, Jameson Blake, with Lorraine Wong, Dustin Yu, Sarah Edwards and Angelica Lao also part of the cast.
The second film coming up is the big-screen debut of young love team Seth Fedelin and Francine Diaz in “My Future You,” with director Crisanto Aquino at the helm.
Jodi Sta. Maria, on the other hand, makes her Regal Films debut in the horror thriller, “Untold,” megged by Derick Cabrido and written by Enrico Santos. Others in the cast are Gloria Diaz, Mylene Dizon, Juan Karlos Labajo, Joem Bascon, TJ Valderrama, Sarah Edwards and Lianne Valentin.
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