OURS WAS NOT A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE
MANILA,
OCTOBER 22, 2011
(BULLETIN) MoviegoerBy NESTOR CUARTERO - Once happy couple Raymond
Bagatsing and Cora Pastrana enjoy themselves in an Ati-Atihan celebration
mounted by natives of Aklan now based in Los Angeles.
Just a thought: Being deeply loved by someone gives you
strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. – Lao Tzu
• • •
Where love has gone: The moment they met in 2005, they instantly
connected. The chemistry, she says, was palpable, like they had been friends
or relatives before, in another lifetime, perhaps. It was odd that they had
just met.
The series of dates, marked by lengthy, profound, no-holds-barred
conversations that extended late into the night, eventually led to a wedding
in Los Angeles in 2008 that surprised many.
It seemed that, as the wife recalls it now in her very first and only
interview with a member of Manila's print media, people couldn't accept the
fact that a gap of more than 20 years stood between the biological ages of
couple Raymond Bagatsing, actor, and Cora Pastrana, Los Angeles-based
entertainment journalist, who was 60 at the time of the marriage.
Breaking her silence in the face of ugly, hurtful rumors, Cora blamed
nosey on-lookers for the gradual collapse of the marriage, which lasted a
year and a half.
"He couldn't stand all the criticisms hurled at us. It affected him so
much that our relationship suffered," she says.
In a sad, wistful tone, Cora lamented the strong wave of public opinion
that meddled into their married life. The opposition, she said, came from
just about everywhere – from men on the street, netizens in cyberspace who
had been so cruel in their remarks.
• • •
Turning Point: The turning point in Raymond and Cora's marital life
happened when Raymond flew back to Manila in 2010 to do a couple of TV
projects for GMA.
Cora allowed him to go back home, but unaware that he would consent to a
TV interview on their controversial marriage. In the interview, aired on GMA,
Raymond also introduced his new girlfriend, a Latina, who had followed him
from LA.
All this time, Cora had managed to keep quiet about the marriage even if
she, as a journalist herself, was always surrounded by media. She took to
task colleagues who had been harsh and also reckless in passing judgment on
the relationship.
Cora, formerly also a correspondent for "Balitang America," a news
program aired on TFC, and a syndicated entertainment columnist in LA's
Filipino press, also addressed the issue of the video that leaked into GMA
News days after the wedding.
Its airing fanned more public opinion, eliciting hurting comments from
people unknown to Cora and who were also probably too jealous of her
seemingly good "fortune."
After all, she had married a much younger man, a handsome actor, who's
equally known for his sex appeal as well as his innate acting talent.
As Cora tells it, a media colleague from LA asked her if he could view
the wedding video on his laptop. Little did she know that he secretly copied
the video, then promptly sent it to a contact at GMA.
The video's airing, which showed Cora in what she thought were
unflattering shots, caused an early dent on their relationship.
"If I had a hand in its release, I would have picked scenes that would
show me only in beautiful shots," Cora says.
True enough, Cora never bothered to acquiesce to countless requests for
interviews from all media. Being media-savvy herself, she knew any more talk
coming from her or his side would only fan other issues and turn their
marriage into a public circus.
The couple lived together in Chino Hills, not far from LA for over a
year.
• • •
Green Card: Early on, people suspected that what transpired between
Raymond and Cora was nothing more than a marriage of convenience. It remains
a common occurrence among partners who marry abroad because one of the
parties needs to legalize his or her stay in the US.
Cora, a long-time immigrant, categorically states that the marriage of
convenience issue hounding them is farthest from the truth. "In the first
place, I never petitioned for him. His green card didn't come from me," she
states.
The revelation supports earlier statements from Cora, whose romantic
musings of the "Amaya" actor ranged from quotes such as "We had a beautiful
relationship" to "He was a nurturing partner."
Cora said she would never use her American citizenship as a passport to
marriage as it would negate her standing at work. For many years now, Cora
has been working at the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) as a
court interpreter.
"To do so would compromise my job at the INS," she said.
At this point, while they await results of divorce proceedings filed in
LA, Cora simply wants to settle a few legalities with Raymond. She has
accepted the outcome of their marriage with calmness and grace, happy in
looking back and sharing with us her fond memories of the relationship. She
called him "Kasing-kasing," the Visayan term for corazon or heart.
Still and all, she maintains that respect must be there at every
marriage's point of closure.
"We can end it nicely naman, di ba?," she poses.
In a more introspective tone, she says it was the marriage – and public
opinion – that ruined an otherwise pleasant, beautiful relationship.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
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