Amalia’s ex threatening her?

AMALIA Fuentes immediately called our attention when she saw us at her Barrio Fiesta presscon. "Hoy, Mario, I’m only 66, not 68 like what you wrote," she says.

So what’s the presscon for? "So many press people have been calling me for an interview about my failed marriage. Kinukulili nang tenga ko so, once and for all, I called this para minsanan na lang ako magsalita and after this, wala na, pwera na lang kung sasagot sila at may bagong development. I owe it to the public din naman para malaman nilang I have irrevocably ended my marriage to Joey Stevens.

"The discovery of my husband’s affair with a woman in Cebu really came as a great shock to me. I only found out about it when I returned from my trip to the US. I was told he’s not been sleeping in our house anymore. Noon ko pa napansin, punta siya ng punta sa Cebu. He told me he was just playing golf there. I didn’t suspect anything kasi he always hears mass with me every Sunday and he even takes communion. That’s why when a priest friend wanted to talk to him about what’s happening, he didn’t want to talk. I really thought only death would separate us. ‘Yun pala, five years na raw sila nung babae. When I confronted him about it, he admitted he had a fling with a woman named Tetchie Garcia, but he has given her up and she has returned to her husband in New York. ‘Yun pala, that’s just a fabricated name and he already has a 3-year-old child with his other woman. I felt very hurt kasi I’ve been faithful to him for the past 28 years, so it’s just right that I expect the same thing from him.

"I experienced mental anguish and I had to take valium to calm me down. But I’ve since realized he has made his decision and so I decided to make my own decision, which is to move on with my life, love myself more and improve my life, including my weight. Kaya lang naman ako tumaba kasi luto ako ng luto for him.

"When he was interviewed sa newspaper and asked about our marriage, his reply was ‘Rocky, as usual.’ Well, he made it rocky, not me. He said rumor lang na may anak siya, but he never bothered to deny it. When he learned I’m going to have myself interviewed, he even texted me to warn me to be careful about what I’ll say. Why should I be? I’m the aggrieved party here, I’m the victim. But I believe when something bad like this happens in your life, something positive will result from it. Maybe God has another plan for me. Your head should rule over your emotions and I can now truthfully say that I don’t love Joey Stevens anymore. I believe that with each ending comes a new beginning. I’m not looking forward to finding another man in my life. I want to do something more worthwhile, like helping orphaned children or going back to school sa UP Open University. I want to get a college degree to inspire my own daughter, Liezl, so she’d also aim to continue with her studies. I believe it’s never too late to get a good education."

Which is more painful, the end of her marriage to Joey or to Romeo "Bobby" Vasquez, the father of her child, Liezl? "Twenty-eight years kami ni Joey, so mas masakit ito. Unlike kay Bobby na sandali lang kami. But Bobby and I are friends now. I was in the States noong Mother’s Day and he even texted me to greet me kasi I’ll always be the mother of his child daw. Joey is no great loss for me, but I do hope we’ll still be friends someday, like Bobby and I, for the sake of our son, Jeric, who’s now 24 and a second year law student at the Ateneo."
Mario E. Bautista
Malaya