Amy: Marriage annulment no longer my priority

The Supreme Court’s decision to junk her petition for marriage annulment (to Brix Ferraris) has left a bad taste in the mouth where Amy Perez is concerned.

"It’s not a good reflection of the Supreme Court. It makes me question what kind of justice system we have," says Amy.

So frustrated is the host of ABS-CBN’s Kabuhayang Swak na Swak (Mondays to Fridays, 8:30 to 9 a.m.) she can’t help but add, "What are they waiting for, for Brix and me to stab each other?"

The militant women’s group Gabriela has rallied behind Amy. And sympathizers shake their heads and ask, if a celebrity like her can’t get out of her rotten marriage, what more ordinary women trapped in a hopeless union?

One solution, her lawyer told her, is to change her citizenship and file for divorce. The other is to file criminal charges against Brix.

The latter solution, however, is unthinkable for Amy, who doesn’t want Adi, her nine-year-old son by Brix, to see his dad behind bars.

"Maybe God doesn’t want to allow Brix to remarry and inflict the same pain he gave me to other women," muses Amy.

She wants her freedom, not because she herself wants to remarry. In fact, Amy says she is loveless at the moment and the annulment has ceased to become a priority. She had a boyfriend, yes, but their busy schedules got in the way.

Besides, even if she and Brix are not legally separated, Amy has gotten used to living the life of a single mom and an abandoned wife for years on end. Even if his dad visits him every two years, Adi knows what’s going on. In fact, when Amy corrected Adi for calling his father Brix and not Daddy or Papa, the boy retorted, "But he doesn’t stay here at home!"

It’s enough that her growing son has her father and older brother to look up to as the male models, says Amy. All Adi need do is knock at his Lolo’s house right across from where he (Adi) lives and get all the advice he needs.

Amy doesn’t want to rely on Brix’s erratic visits anymore. This time, Amy told herself, she won’t call Brix anymore each time he’s in the country to ask him to visit Adi. Her globe-trotting singer-husband must take it upon himself to see his son whenever he can.

The situation does make her lonely, Amy admits. But she just reminds herself that when God closes a door, He opens a window. Work has come a-pouring. Amy dishes out tips on business opportunities with co-host Chase Tinio in Bayan Productions’ Kabuhayang Swak na Swak.

Amy herself can dish out tips to aspiring entrepreneurs about lessons she learned from her now-defunct bread and T-shirt businesses.

The new show also has segments especially dedicated to OFWs who want to start a business called Doon Dito. The segment Pera sa Basura, as the name implies, shows how one can turn waste materials into sources of business opportunities. Bago ‘To is about new products, sales launches and market awareness programs. Kabukiran Atbp. delves on business opportunities in the countryside. Micronancing shows televiewers where and when to get start-up or additional capital for their businesses.

Bahay ni Kuya is for those who want to cash in on the real estate business, while Kotse ni Ate is all about buying and selling vehicles.

Amy is also on radio (DZMM) daily and theater (Oedipus Rex with AJ Dee, every Saturday at Manila Film Center).

Despite the kink in her marriage annulment case, Amy has every reason to feel blessed. And when she looks at her precocious son fast asleep beside her, Amy knows she need not fret or cry. Fate is still kind to her. And she has all the reasons in the world to wake up each morning with a wide smile on her face.