Felipe L. Gozon: A family man at heart

MANILA, Philippines — For all his achievements

as chairman and former CEO of GMA Network — a titan in the corporate world — Felipe Gozon’s greatest success may lie in the eyes of his family.

In a recent STAR interview with lawyer Annette Gozon-Valdes — Gozon’s eldest of three kids (the others are Philip Gozon and Maritess Gozon-Viterbo) with wife Tessie, it wasn’t hard to see that faith is at the heart of how FLG — as he’s fondly called — is as a father and husband.

Annette recalls how her dad, who turns 85 today (Dec. 8), was firm in teaching them how to “cherish our Christian faith” along with their mom.

“Growing up, we always had Bible studies and prayer meetings at home, and I’m very thankful for that,” she shares.

When it came to parenting style, she says he was “very strict and very protective.”

“We weren’t allowed sleepovers or going out — especially dating! We always had to have a chaperone,” she muses. Even on dates, if her siblings couldn’t accompany her, it was their mother who stepped in.

Interestingly, while FLG was a strict father, as a grandfather, he’s not — his softer side is on full display with his apos. “Growing up, when he’s watching TV, we couldn’t change the channel. But with the grandchildren, they can change the channel anytime!”

Annette further shares that when her own daughter Anya was a little girl, she would sleep in her grandparents’ room for three years. “And she was fond of changing channels. So, he bought her a TV. There were two TVs in the room!”

“My dad would sleep with the radio on, too, listening to DZBB… After, when she was with me, she couldn’t sleep without the radio on, too, so I had to buy her a radio! At five years old, she was listening to AM radio.”

But for all FLG’s strictness when they were growing up, he made time for fun. Annette reveals that her father has an adventurous side, particularly a shared love for roller coasters. “He was my partner riding roller coasters! I remember the first time I rode Space Mountain — he was so excited to make me ride it with him. He’s kind of like a daredevil when it comes to adventures like these.”

No conflict between work and family time

Before becoming a broadcast leader, FLG was known to be a UP and Yale-educated “blue-chip lawyer and courtroom gladiator.” But despite career demands, he was “very present” and didn’t compromise on family time, according to his daughter.

FLG and his wife made sure that their kids grew up being very close to each other.

“All of us siblings slept in their room. I slept in their room until I got married. My brother slept in their room until he got married! So we’re very tight-knit, like they would know when we were outside of the house,” Annette fondly recalls. “Kunyari, we’re at a party. They would wait for us to come home because we would sleep in their room!”

“That’s why I became very close to my siblings. We were like barkada growing up, despite our age difference. I’m seven years older and eight years older than my brother and my sister.”

Even after they moved out, the elder Gozon ensured the family stayed close — literally.

“We used to live in Urdaneta. I got married first, and then my sister got married. When she had a child already, and I had two, my mom said, ‘Di na tayo kasya dito.’ They bought a bigger house, and we transferred there.

“But then my brother also got married. Apparently, we couldn’t fit in the house because we were four families in one house. What (FLG) did was he bought a house five houses down the street. There was a house for sale! And he said, ‘Yan bibilhin ko yan! Dyan kayo.’ He said that’s where my brother’s and my family would live. He wanted us close by so we would just eat at their house every day.”

To this day, Sundays remain sacred in the Gozon household. “Every Sunday lunch, we’re all together,” Annette says.

The family has become even closer after FLG started organizing a family Bible study before every Sunday lunch, led by US-based Pastor Leslie Stewart, son of Bob Stewart, via Zoom. “So, that’s a new routine we have.”

‘Biblical and enduring’

FLG’s devotion to Tessie is another pillar of their family’s close-knit bond. During his 84th birthday celebration last year, one of the most touching moments was when he paid tribute to his wife of over 50 years as the “love of my life.”

Annette admires how her dad supports her mom, even in sickness and in health.

“I think it was the time my mom got very sick, and she had to stay in the ICU. Every day, my dad would be there. He made sure to spend time with her. He didn’t want to see her in pain. He was very concerned, talking to the doctors. Even until now,” she shares.

“Now that my mom has recovered, he still wants her to get the best care possible. He spearheads the medical check-ups for my mom. They’ve been together for so long — his presence, his being there, is the sweetest gesture that he could have given my mom.

“But even before the pandemic, he would always come home early. He works very fast. He wakes up at 4 a.m. and does his work. And then when he comes home, (he and my mom) would bond. Every day, ever since I was young, he would have dinner at home.”

For Annette, her parents’ marriage is a model of a Biblical and enduring partnership. “He’s the provider of the family. When they got married, he asked my mom to quit her job and become a housewife. Of course, my mom was very happy to do that. My mom worked for a bank. As a housewife and as a mother, she really excelled. She brought us up so well and was so proud of our academic achievements. She would bring us to school.

“As a husband, my dad would support her in that he would provide for her. And he would lead the family.

“I’m very proud to say that the marriage of my parents is patterned after the Biblical marriage. The husband would lead the family, he is also the spiritual leader and the provider. And the wife will submit to the husband. My mom is exactly like that. They really have a model marriage.”

From her parents’ example, this is what she tries to apply in her own marriage and family life: “If you follow what the Bible says, you can’t go wrong. That’s the perfect formula for a marriage. And once you believe that, God will bless your marriage.”

Biggest impact

Thinking about her childhood and career, Annette, now serving as senior vice president at GMA Network in charge of programming, talent management and support arms, as well as president of GMA Films, can say that her father’s approach to both business and fatherhood mirrors one another.

“He has the same style in the corporate world and as a dad. I think that’s also for our own good. But he doesn’t spoil us. He always taught us the right way of doing things, of always being ethical. He was firm about not spoiling any of us,” she says.

“I saw firsthand what a good negotiator he is. Sometimes, I would be scared to negotiate if I really want something to happen or push through. I would concede some items just to have the deal push through. Pero ang dad ko, hindi. He’s a very strong negotiator. Maybe 75 to 85 percent of the time, he gets everything he wants. Matapang siya. He’s such a shrewd negotiator but he’s always fair.”

It’s also the biggest lesson she learned from him — to be fair and ethical. “I think it’s to always be ethical in business and always be in good faith in treating everyone, whether your friends or business partners, because that’s very important to him, transparency and ethics,” she stresses.

“I think that’s the biggest impact on me. No favoritism, everyone has to follow the ethical code. There’s no excuse.”

Beyond these professional lessons, Annette’s proudest moment as FLG’s daughter will always be when he took the reins of GMA in 2000 at age 60.

“I was apprehensive at the start. He was a lawyer for so many years. He was not into Philippine showbiz. He would watch the news, sports, but not showbiz. Maybe that’s why he asked me to join him (laughs). But my mom is sobrang showbiz,” she looks back.

“At that time, I was a new lawyer. I had just graduated from my Master’s, from law school, and I had just joined his law firm. That was his dream ever since I was young — to join his law firm. Suddenly, he took over GMA.

“So, I told him, ‘Kaya mo ba yan? Sigurado ka, kaya mo ba yan?’ He told me, ‘Kaya ko kahit ano! Kaya ko aralin yan.’ Then he asked me to join him. We saw how we were able to lead GMA to become the No. 1 TV network in the country.”