Mercedes Gotianun Death, Obituary – December 12, 2022 – Mrs. Mercedes T. Gotianun, who was 94 years old when she died away on December 11, 2022, was surrounded by her family and friends as she took her last breath. The Filinvest Group of Companies is very saddened by her passing. Mercedes Gotianun, better known by her nickname “Chita,” was the wife of the late Andrew Gotianun, Sr., who established Filinvest Development Corporation. She was thought of as the ideal complement to the visionary leader since she worked tirelessly to put his ideas into action.
She was well-known for her work ethic, and many loved the fact that she was organized, motivated, and full of energy. She persisted in order to achieve her goals in an extraordinary manner.
The productive conglomerate that is currently known as Filinvest Development Corporation was born out of the harmonious synergy between Andrew and Chita. Now, among the largest corporations in the country with interests in Davao and North Cotabato Sugar Central, East West Bank, and Filinvest Land and Alabang for land development, Filinvest Land and Alabang for land development, and East West Bank for universal banking. Hotels operating under the Crimson and Quest brands, electricity generating through Filinvest Utilities, and infrastructure development in the Clark International Airport are among the new businesses that have been started by the company.
She was a diligent and successful student even when she was just a child. At the College of the Holy Spirit, she received the highest grade point average and graduated first in both elementary school and high school. She maintained her standing as a University Scholar throughout all four years of her undergraduate education and graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Magna Cum Laude Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree. In addition to that, she was a sister in the Sigma Delta Phi sorority. She was a respected business leader who will be remembered as the first woman to serve as President of a Philippine Universal Bank.
During the 1970s and 1980s, she co-founded and led Family Bank and Trust Co., which later became BPI Family Savings Bank. She is also remembered as having been the first female President of a Philippine Universal Bank. As a result of her many accomplishments as a female business leader in the Philippines, GoNegosyo’s Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneurs Awards bestowed upon her the title of Legacy Awardee in 2017. This recognition was given in 2017. She was also honored by Sigma Delta Phi with the Mariang Maya award, which is presented to members of the sorority who have distinguished themselves professionally and personally.
Mercedes was the oldest of her eight siblings and was frequently regarded as a ferocious protector of the family. She shown a maternal side even in the early years of her existence. Mercedes was the sibling who came first. Her siblings Eduardo, Zenaida, Blesilda and Domingo, Victor and Nenita, Benjamin and Elizabeth, and Celia are the only ones who are able to mourn her passing.
Her children, Bibot and Marivic, Jonathan and Cristina, Josephine and Joseph, and Michael, along with her grandkids and great grandchildren, make up Mercedes’s family.