Derek’s wife eyes amicable settlement

MANILA, Philippines - The 36-year-old wife of actor and model Derek Ramsay said yesterday a possible amicable settlement could happen in the case she filed against the actor for allegedly abusing her.

“All’s well that ends well. This is the most productive (meeting),” said Mary Christine Jolly Ramsay, a former commercial model and now a legal assistant in Dubai, following her meeting with Derek before Makati City Assistant Prosecutor Erwin Dimayacyac.

Dimayacyac said Mary did not submit her 23-page reply-affidavit to Derek’s counter-affidavit. He said a date will be set for the next hearing.

The couple’s 11-year-old son, Austin, was present in yesterday’s hearing, which lasted three hours. It was the first time that Austin attended a hearing of the charge against his father for allegedly violating Republic Act 9262, the law punishing violence against women and their children.

In her 23-page reply-affidavit to the counter-affidavit earlier filed by the actor, Mary said the actor’s counter-affidavit is full of “concocted tales” and is in itself proof of how low the actor allegedly considers women.

She also belied Derek’s allegations that she was “completely wasted on alcohol or drugs and was literally lying on the sidewalk” when they first met at a bar in Pasong Tamo in Makati.

“The way Derek is reversing the story, in particular by picturing me as doing drugs is astounding. I was just a young 21-year-old student at that time going out with friends on clean night-outs. On the other hand, Derek, this older 25-year-old aspiring model, was in fact the one who introduced me to drugs during the relationship by forcing me to take ecstasy whenever he would want to have sex,” she said.

Mary also debunked Derek’s allegation that she was a “groupie” during the time Derek was playing flag football. “Likewise, to call me a ‘groupie’ and thus, demonize me as a caricature of a sex-crazed woman pursuing football players, reverses the situation of who was sex-crazed to begin with. During the marriage, Derek committed spousal rape against me when he went home drunk one night,” she said.

Mary also debunked Derek’s claims in his counter-affidavit that she was physically and verbally abusive and had violent tendencies.

Mary also stressed in her reply-affidavit that her complaint against Derek is more than just a case of support for their son. “ Derek uses denial or withdrawal of support or simply making it difficult to access support in order to control his family and make them submissive,” she said.