The well-respected matriarch of the Gotianun business empire is gone.
The Filinvest Group announced the loss of its chairperson emerita, Mercedes “Chita” Gotianun, 94, who passed away on 11 December 2022.
Chita is the wife of the late taipan Andrew Gotianun, Sr., but she played more than a supporting role in building the family business which includes real estate, banking, power and agriculture.
In a statement, Filinvest dubbed her as “the perfect complement” to Andrew and a “tireless implementor” of his vision.
“Widely admired for her work ethic, she was known to be organized, determined, and energetic. She persevered to accomplish her goals extraordinarily,” Filinvest said.
Chita was an achiever in school – she graduated valedictorian in both elementary and high school from the College of the Holy Spirit; and Magna Cum Laude with a BS Pharmacy degree from the University of the Philippines.
She is 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.
She is survived by her siblings Eduardo, Zenaida, Blesilda and Domingo, Victor and Nenita, Benjamin and Elizabeth, and Celia; and her children, Bibot+ and Marivic, Jonathan and Cristina, Josephine and Joseph, and Michael; and her grandchildren and great grandchildren.