Betty Go-Belmonte

Billie Mary "Betty" Chua Go-Belmonte (; December 31, 1933 – January 28, 1994) was a Filipina journalist and newspaper publisher. In late 1985, she co-founded the Philippine Daily Inquirer. By 1986, she established both The Philippine Star newspaper and the Pilipino Star Ngayon tabloid. Her STAR Group of Publications later began publishing newspapers such as The Freeman, the tabloids Pang-Masa and Banat, as well as the magazines Starweek, People Asia, and The Fookien Times Yearbook.

A street and a Manila LRT Line 2 station were named after her. She had four younger sisters namely Cecile (1936–2004), Dorcy (1938–1999), Elsie (1941–2009) and Gracie (1946–) as well as a younger brother, Andrew (1951–). She grew up with a devout Protestant upbringing in the Santa Mesa district of Manila, as well as in the Kamias district of Quezon City.

The Philippine STAR

After the EDSA Revolution that toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines, questions finances and divergence of priorities caused a rift among Inquirer's publishers that led Belmonte and Soliven to leave the newspaper and to establish their own broadsheet. Belmonte was perceived as affecting the newspaper's credibility and was asked to leave. She left the newspaper even as its publishers owed her money which was used to put up Inquirer.

The story touched Belmonte so much that she extended financial (from donations solicited through her column "Pebbles") and emotional support to Salcedo's widow and children. The couple had four children, namely Isaac, Kevin, Miguel, and Joy. Their three sons hold editorial and managerial positions at The Philippine STAR, and its sister at publications like Pilipino Star Ngayon, Pang Masa, and The Freeman. Her daughter Joy is the incumbent mayor of Quezon City.

Belmonte was a devout Protestant, instructing the staff of The Philippine Star to forfeit the Sunday issue in its first two years of existence to avoid working on the Sabbath.

She died in Quezon City on January 28, 1994, due to bone cancer, 27 days after her 60th birthday.