Court grants Joey, Alma annulment

Joey Marquez is free (at last!) and so is Alma Moreno.

The Regional Trial Court of Parañaque (Branch 260) has recently annulled the marriage of the couple who were first married in Las Vegas in l989 and then here a few years later.

It was Joey who filed the petition for annulment two years ago in the wake of his controversial separation from Alma whom he accused of having an affair with a certain Julian Say, a disc jockey from Cebu.

Both Joey and Alma are running in the May 10 elections, he for congressman of Parañaque City where he’s serving his third and last term as mayor, and she for mayor of the same city.

Will the court decision finally pave the way for the much-touted marriage between Joey and Kris Aquino who figured prominently in the couple’s fight when she had a romance with Joey a few months after his break-up with Alma?

"No way," Kris told The STAR, at the same time denying that she and Joey have kissed and made up after a violent fight last year, during which Kris accused Joey of, among other things, inflicting her with STD (sexually transmitted disease).

"Joey and I have let go of each other; we lead separate lives now, although we have remained friends," Kris said.

It must be recalled that Kris’ mom, former President Corazon Aquino, disapproved of Kris’ romance with Joey because of his being a married man who has children by several women, four of them with Alma. President Cory also frowned on Kris’ romance with Phillip Salvador, father of Kris’ nine-year-old son Joshua, for the same reason.

In interviews, Kris had been quoted as saying that she would reconcile with Joey only if his marriage was annulled so as not to hurt her mom anymore.

Her older brother, Tarlac Rep. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, also disapproved of Kris’ involvement with married men. The two are not in very good terms just yet, although Noynoy supported Kris all the way during her controversial break-up with Joey last year that led to Kris’ filing of charges against Joey which she dropped when he apologized to her on national television.

"Joey told me about the court decision as early as two months ago but we kept it a secret and waited for the court to make the announcement," said Kris.

Sources said that Joey has said sorry to Alma. They have since patched things up and are friends again.

During the hearing, Alma reportedly submitted very few evidence, including proofs of Joey’s relationship with Kris, while Joey presented several, including a damning evidence (a videotape) showing Alma and Julian Say kissing inside an elevator of a hotel in Cebu.

"The court decision has absolutely no effect on me," said Kris, adding that she has gotten over Joey. She’s now being romantically linked to Mark Lapid, son of senatoriable Lito Lapid, who’s running for governor of Pampanga, the post Lito is vacating.

"Mark and I aren’t going steady yet," Kris said, citing the eight-year age gap between them. Mark is 25 and Kris is 33.

Asked how she’d react if Joey started courting her again, Kris smiled.

"As I’ve said, we have different lives now. We seldom talk now, not even on the phone," she said.

Ab Initio

The marriage of Marquez and Moreno was annulled after the Parañaque City court declared it null and void ab initio (from the start).

In a five-page decision, Parañaque City Judge Fortunito Madrona granted petition for annulment Marquez filed two years ago on the grounds of psychological incapacity of both parties. The couple married in Catholic rites on Dec. 17, 1994.

Madrona also granted Moreno — Vanessa Lacsamana in real life — full custody of their four children. Marquez was ordered by the court to provide his children with P200,000 in monthly financial support.

The titles of the couple’s property holdings and other absolute community property will be transferred to the name of the Marquez children, the court ordered.

One of the bases for Madrona’s decision was the statement of expert witness and court psychologist Dr. Cecilia Cajipe Villegas, who said Moreno and Marquez are not psychologically equipped to live together under the same roof.

Villegas said Marquez suffers from inadequate and immature personality disorder caused by the absence of a father figure during his childhood.

According to her, Marquez’s overindulgent and protective mother aggravated his personality disorder. Marquez had submitted himself to a psychological examination.

Moreno, on the other hand, suffers from anti-social personality disorder arising from abandonment and abuse in her early development stages, Villegas said.

The psychiatrist, who has been serving with the Supreme Court since 1975, noted in her testimony that Moreno is impulsive and has ego deficits in planning and judgment.

Because Moreno’s father had many families and died while she was young, she has a poorly developed superego or conscience, which may cause her anti-social behavior.

Moreno, Villegas said, lacks empathy, love and basic trust.

According to Madrona, the analyses made by Villegas of Moreno and Marquez show that both parties in the annulment case are not psychologically capable of complying with the essential marital obligations.

During the pre-trial hearings, both parties agreed that Moreno would get custody of the children, Madrona said. –With Edu Punay