The Philippine Star facts for kids
| Truth Shall Prevail | |
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Front page from March 19, 2018
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
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| Format | Broadsheet and news website |
| Owner(s) | PhilStar Daily, Inc. MediaQuest Holdings (51%) Belmonte family (21%) Private stock (28%) |
| Founder(s) | Betty Go-Belmonte Maximo V. Soliven Art Borjal |
| Publisher | Pilipino Star Printing Co., Inc. |
| Founded | July 28, 1986 (14,268 issues) |
| Political alignment | Centre-left |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | The Philippine STAR Building, Amvel Business Park, Dr. A Santos Avenue, Sucat, Parañaque City |
| City | Manila |
| Country | Philippines |
| Circulation | Mon–Sat: 262,285 (2012) Sunday: 286,408 (2012) |
| Sister newspapers | BusinessWorld Pilipino Star Ngayon Pang-Masa The Freeman Banat |
| OCLC number | 854909029 |
The Philippine Star is a popular English-language newspaper in the Philippines. It is the main newspaper of the Philstar Media Group. The first issue was published on July 28, 1986. It was started by experienced journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, Max Soliven, and Art Borjal.
The Philippine Star was one of many newspapers created after the 1986 People Power Revolution. This revolution changed the government in the Philippines. The newspaper has several sister publications. These include the business newspaper BusinessWorld and The Freeman, which is based in Cebu. It also publishes Filipino-language tabloids like Pilipino Star Ngayon and Pang-Masa. There is also a Cebuano-language tabloid called Banat.
The Philstar Media Group also has many online news websites. These include Philstar.com, PhilstarLife.com, and Interaksyon. Other sites are Latest Chika, Wheels.PH, PropertyReport.PH, and Multiverse.PH. They also have a TV and digital production team called Philstar TV. In 2025, The Philippine Star also launched JuanCast, an online platform for Pinoy pop music.
In March 2014, MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. bought the newspaper. MediaQuest Holdings is a large media company. It is supported by the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund. They bought most of the shares in Philstar Daily, Inc., the company that owns The Philippine Star.
Contents
History of The Philippine Star
How the Newspaper Started
The Philippine Star was first published seven months after the 1986 People Power Revolution. This revolution removed Ferdinand Marcos from power. It also made Corazon Aquino the president.
Before starting The Philippine Star, its founders were well-known journalists. Betty Go-Belmonte, Max Soliven, and Art Borjal were part of the "Mosquito Press." This was a group of newspapers that spoke out against the Marcos government. These papers were published after the period of Martial Law (1972-1981). At that time, Betty Go-Belmonte was the publisher of a small magazine called The Star. This magazine was a first version of The Philippine Star.
In December 1985, before the People Power Revolution, these journalists started another newspaper. They joined Eugenia Apostol, Louie Beltran, and Florangel Rosario-Braid. Together, they founded Philippine Daily Inquirer. This newspaper quickly became a strong critic of the Marcos government.
However, after the revolution, the founders of the Inquirer had disagreements. They had questions about money and different ideas about what was important. This led Betty Go-Belmonte, Max Soliven, and Art Borjal to start The Philippine Star. Betty Go-Belmonte became the first chairman of the Board of Directors. Max Soliven was the first publisher and chairman of the editorial board. Antonio Roces was the first editor-in-chief until he left in 1989.
The Early Years of Publication
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Mass media |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Betty Go Belmonte |
| Headquarters | The Philippine STAR Building, Amvel Business Park, Dr. A. Santos Avenue, Sucat, 1700 Parañaque City |
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Key people
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Victorico P. Vargas (Chairman) Miguel G. Belmonte (President and CEO) Carlos R. Dizon (CFO) |
| Products | Print publishing, digital media, Out-of-home advertising, television production, event management |
| Brands |
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| Owner | PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund |
| Parent | MediaQuest Holdings |
| Subsidiaries | BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation (majority stake) Philstar Daily, Inc. Philstar Global Corporation Pilipino Star Ngayon, Inc. |
The first issue of The Philippine Star came out on July 28, 1986. It had eight pages and no advertisements. The main headline was "Wear yellow and die." This story was about the death of Stephen Salcedo, a 23-year-old. He was killed by a group of Marcos supporters during a rally in Manila's Luneta Park.
The newspaper's motto was "Truth Shall Prevail." This showed their goal to present both sides of a story. This was different from other newspapers at the time, which often focused on getting "scoops." The first issue also had sections for World news, Nation news, Money, Life, and Sports.
The first Philippine Star was printed in Port Area, Manila. It used blue and yellow colors, which became its signature look. It cost ₱1.75 and had a print run of "a few thousand copies."
At first, the newspaper was only published from Monday to Saturday. This was because Betty Go-Belmonte did not want work on Sundays. To reach Sunday readers, Philstar Daily, Inc. started Starweek on February 15, 1987. This was a Sunday magazine for The Philippine Star. Later, in 1988, the newspaper added a Sunday issue because people wanted more news. Starweek continued to be published. Besides The Philippine Star, the company also started a Filipino-language tabloid called Ang Pilipino Ngayon. This later became Pilipino Star Ngayon. Other sister papers like Business Star and Evening Star were also launched.
The Soliven Era
Betty Go-Belmonte passed away from cancer on January 28, 1994. After her death, Max Soliven became the chairman of the Board of Directors. He also remained the publisher. He appointed Miguel Belmonte, Betty's 30-year-old son, as executive vice president.
In the same year, the newspaper used the slogan "The only paper you read from cover to cover." This was part of a new plan to make every section of the paper excellent. The idea was that each section could be interesting on its own. On August 4, 1995, The Philippine Star became the first broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines to have a colored front page.
The Miguel Belmonte Era
In 1998, Miguel Belmonte was chosen by the Board of Directors to be president and CEO. Max Soliven stayed as chairman of the board and publisher. The next year, the newspaper launched "Hotline 2000." This allowed people to share their opinions using SMS (text messages). This made The Philippine Star a leader in televoting for print media in the Philippines.
This was the start of the newspaper's move into the Digital Age. In 2000, the newspaper launched its website, philstar.com. This made it one of the first newspapers in the Philippines to be on the Internet. The website later started its own news team in 2009. In the same year, the company began using a modern computer-to-plate printing system. Also in 2000, Miguel's brother, Isaac Belmonte, became the editor-in-chief.
To reach more readers, The Philippine Star partnered with fast food restaurant Jollibee in 2003. It became the first newspaper to be given away for free in a fast food restaurant. Customers who bought a Jollibee breakfast meal received a free copy of the newspaper.
On August 24, 2004, The Philippine Star bought two newspapers from Cebu City. These were the English-language newspaper The Freeman and its sister publication, the Cebuano-language tabloid Banat. The Freeman is the oldest running newspaper in Cebu City, started on May 10, 1919. Banat was first published on August 23, 1994. This purchase helped The Philippine Star become stronger in the Visayas-Mindanao region.
Max Soliven, the founding publisher, passed away in Tokyo, Japan, on November 24, 2006. Isaac Belmonte later took his place as publisher and chairman of the editorial board in 2012. Ana Marie "Amy" Pamintuan, who was an executive editor, became the current editor-in-chief in 2012.
Philstar.com started as a place to store articles from The Philippine Star. However, the website now creates its own content and has a separate team of editors. Philstar Daily Inc. manages the newspaper and social media. Philstar Global Corp. runs the website.
MediaQuest Holdings Acquires The Philippine Star
As early as 2009, businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan showed interest in buying a part of The Philippine Star. He wanted to have a big role in the media industry. The next year, his company, MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., bought 20 percent of the newspaper. MediaQuest is the media company of PLDT. They also bought 18 percent of The Philippine Daily Inquirer, a rival newspaper.
In 2014, MediaQuest finally took control of The Philippine Star. They bought a majority of the shares, 51 percent, in the newspaper. The Belmonte family kept 21 percent of the shares. They also kept control over how the newspaper was managed and edited. Manuel Pangilinan, the chairman of MediaQuest, appointed lawyer Ray Espinosa as the chairman of the newspaper's board of directors.
In 2015, The Philippine Star bought 76.67 percent of Hastings Holdings, Inc.'s shares in its sister newspaper BusinessWorld. This deal helped The Philippine Star become a stronger leader in the market. It also helped BusinessWorld improve its position in the newspaper business.
Notable Writers and Columnists
Many well-known people have written for The Philippine Star. Here are some of them:
Opinion Writers
- Betty Go-Belmonte: A journalist and one of the founders of The Philippine Star.
- Max Soliven: A journalist, founding publisher, and former chairman of the Editorial Board.
- Art Borjal: A journalist and former president of The Philippine Star.
- Teddy Benigno: A journalist and former Press Secretary during the Corazon Aquino government.
- Ricky Lo: A well-known entertainment writer and TV host.
- Ernesto Maceda: A lawyer and former Senate President.
- F. Sionil José: A famous writer and novelist.
- Alex Magno: A political scientist and professor.
- Satur Ocampo: An activist, journalist, and former representative in Congress.
- Ronald Llamas: A former adviser to President Benigno Aquino III.
Entertainment Writers
- Boy Abunda: A television host and talent manager.
- Joey de Leon: A comedian, actor, and TV presenter, known for Eat Bulaga!.
- Pepe Diokno: A movie director, producer, and screenwriter.
Lifestyle Writers
- Tim Yap: A TV and radio host, columnist, and event organizer.
- Cheryl Tiu: A lifestyle columnist and editor.
- Lucy Torres: An actress, model, TV host, and mayor of Ormoc.
- Bianca Gonzalez: A lifestyle columnist, TV host, and model.
Sports Writers
- Quinito Henson: A sports analyst and TV sports commentator.
Other Writers
- Jarius Bondoc
- Rene Alviar
- Jing Castañeda
- Ana Marie Pamintuan
See also
