Derek Ramsay is thankful for the support that he’s getting amid the controversy he’s going through. “Maraming naninira pero mas maraming nagmamahal, ‘yon ang importante sa akin,” Derek said in an interview on Monday, after the press conference of his upcoming reality show “The Amazing Race Philippines Season 2.”
It was in August when his estranged wife Mary Christine Jolly filed a complaint against him after allegedly neglecting his obligations as a father to their now 11-year-old son. After they submitted their counter affidavit, Jolly’s camp then had a press conference before submitting their reply affidavit on Thursday at the Makati Prosecutor’s Office. However, the submission didn’t push through and instead they had a closed-door meeting.
Many were surprised that Derek was there at the fiscal’s office since, according to him, “hindi naman ako required to be there on that day. I found out my son is there, I haven’t seen him in months, so that’s it. That’s the only reason why ando’n ako, nalaman kong ando’n ang anak ko.”
As much as possible, Derek didn’t want to grant any interview since “the fiscal told us not to talk to media, that’s protocol. At the same time nirerespeto ko ang anak ko kaya hindi ako nagsasalita. Just like in the past, kapag babae ang kalaban hindi ako nagsasalita.”
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He further adds, “sila ang pabago-bago, sila ang nagpa-presscon, sila ang nag-release ng affidavit online, my son’s letter online, she handed out the letter to everybody at the presscon. It’s just hard to believe that my son read everything online over night.” ‘I Hate You’
During the closed-door meeting at the fiscal office, the Kapatid actor said Jolly only gave him two minutes to talk to his son at the fiscal’s office.
“I have two minutes, that’s all she granted me, two minutes with him at the fiscal’s office. After two minutes she was knocking on the door as if sisiraan ko siya sa anak ko,” he recalled.
On that day, a letter written by his son was given to him. In the letter, the boy reportedly said that he hates his dad.
“I don’t believe that he wrote that and I don’t believe…” Derek said. “I asked my son if siya ang nagsulat no’n and he meant it. When he said yes, I kept my mouth shut for the rest of the meeting.”
He felt down upon hearing it and asked his lawyers, “ano pa ang magagawa natin para maayos na ‘to? Wala akong pakialam linisin ang pangalan ko, wala akong pakialam sa career ko. I just want to spend time with my boy.”
It was hard to believe for the actor-host what his son told him since the last time they saw each other, he remembers that “he called me dad and he said the last time we saw each other was the best day of his life.”
He added, “So when I asked him about it at the meeting he said, ‘I didn’t say that. I didn’t call you dad. I hate you,’” he recalls, teary-eyed. Visitation Rights Derek said it was in 2011 when he found out about his son.
“I was very cooperative when I found out that he was my son,” he replied when asked what he did about finding out about his child. “Immediately we sat down and discussed what’s best for my son, and we did, we had a contract.
“They were the ones who drafted the contract, they’re even the ones who notarized the contract, and everything I thought was smooth sailing from there. But here we are after three years.”
Derek claimed that the contract they agreed upon in 2011 was not followed, and that he only saw his son four times in three years time. During their last meeting, reports said that the two camps are eyeing an amicable settlement about child support, visitation rights, the boy’s citizenship and the annulment of their marriage.
The Kapatid actor-host said he doesn’t mind about the demands from Jolly’s camp and what matters to him now is that he exercises his rights as a father.
“I want to have the right to be a father, I want to have the right to see my son, I definitely want to give him good education coz that’s the best way to give back, to secure his future with good education. That’s what my parents did to me, they sent me to the best school that they can afford. I want to give him the best education, a trust fund,” he said.
He’s even willing “to be peaceful with her,” referring to Jolly. “I really do, for the sake of my son. It doesn’t mean I’ll be plastic. I’m just doing what she requests.” (J. Jimenez, PS)
