| Unofficial Website of Ms. Janice de Belen |
| Part 3 JANICE: Life without John Conversation w/ Ricky Lo |
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| Do you still love him? (Hesitates) "How should I word it so it won�t sound so bad? With me, it�s either black or white; there�s no grey area. It�s either yes or no. When I decided that it was over, the next morning feeling ko recovered na ako. No regrets, no turning back, no what-might-have-beens. I have five kids so I didn�t have the luxury of wallowing in depression; wala akong time mag-self-pity. �Yung self-pitying period ko happened in the last months leading to our separation. Tapos na ang crying time ko." Was John a good provider? " He was a good provider. He was never remiss in his obligation along that line. I�m thankful that he treated Iggy Boy like his own son." By the way, did you really give Vanessa a cake with poison? "That was a joke. I went to ABS with a cake for the MTB guys. In-offer ko rin siya. I said aloud, in jest, �May lason �yan!� Somebody must have heard about it and told a reporter. Siempre naman, I won�t do that." What if you bump into them together by chance... what would you do? "I�d say �Hi!� to them. Hi lang. Because I�m okay, kaya maluwag sa akin ang mag-�Hi� sa kanila." Because of what happened, na-discover tuloy ang hosting talent mo. "I was supposed to only pinchhit for Lyn Ching but they took me in as permanent co-host of Paolo (Bediones, now on a seven-week leave; with Richard Gomez as new co-host) on S-Files. And then came Sis.Hosting is not my line, acting talaga ang linya ko, but I�ve been learning a lot on the job." Now that you�re working again, how do you keep a balance between career and mothering? "Most of the day, the three girls and Iggy Boy are in school and only Yuan is left in the house. Most of the Sis episodes are pre-taped so I spend time at home. I often bring the kids to a nearby mall; pasyal-pasyal kami doon." Paano ang arrangement with John? "He can visit the kids anytime he wants to. Sometimes, he comes every other day; it depends on his schedule. We�re not friends, hindi kami magkagalit, but we�re very civil to each other. Hello-hi lang kami sa isa�t-isa. When he comes, I treat him like a visitor. I don�t expect him to roam the house freely. I�m not a hypocrite. You know, I won�t say, �Oy, chika tayo!� I�m not like that. As I�ve said, no gray area; it�s either black or white. While he�s with the kids, tuloy ako with whatever I�m doing." John has his own new love. Is your love life "on hold" pending decision on your annulment case? "I would like to think so. In my case, it�s not easy to have suitors. In our society, ang stigma sa babaing hiwalay ay mas matindi kaysa sa lalaki, especially if the woman has children. That�s why I filed an annulment petition � to set John free and, in case I fall in love again with somebody else, para wala nang masasabi ang sino man." What about the possibility of, well, a "second time around"? "I�m the type who doesn�t fall in love with the same person twice." Very obviously, there�s life after � without � John. "Oh, yes, there is. Now I know my worth as a person, as a mother. I know where I stand and where I�m going." |
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