Chiz confirms marriage annulment

Manila, Philippines -  Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero confirmed yesterday that his seven-year marriage to Christine Elizabeth “Tintin” Flores has been annulled.

“Yes,””Escudero said when asked about the matter by TV host and presidential sister Kris Aquino in her program Kris TV, where the senator is a guest co-host for five weeks.

Aquino referred to STAR columnist Ricky Lo’s article in which he interviewed Flores, who revealed that the “un-couple” have remained friends for the sake of their children.

Escudero confirmed his former wife’s statements but refused to say anything more.

“We agreed that since we are not from showbiz, we won’t talk about it. So, let us not talk about it,” he said.

He said he had not been seeing anyone since his marriage was annulled but revealed he had met with actress Heart Evangelista twice in recent months.

He, however, was quick to say that the encounters were not dates.

“Are you dating Heart?” Aquino asked, to which Escudero replied, “No.”

“I wish… but, no. (But) yes, we saw each other twice,” he said.

“Maybe if you are 27 years old, you call that dating. But if you are 42 years old, you call that meeting, you just had a meeting,” he added.

In an interview during the regional convention of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Central Luzon last Thursday, Escudero said he was not looking for somebody to date.

“I’d rather focus on my kids and work. Even with these two, my time is not enough so I don’t want to add anything more,” he said.

He also said it has not even been a year since he and Flores separated.

“Even in cases of death, we wait a long time,” he said.

But despite his separation from his wife, Escudero had said he is against divorce in the country, pointing out that the Family Code’s provisions on legal separation and annulment have enough options to address dysfunctional marriages.

Last month, Escudero hinted that the annulment proceeding was nearing conclusion, but remained mum on details.

In his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) for 2011 that he filed last April, Escudero declared that he is “separated-in-fact.”

The senator also placed his estranged wife’s maiden name in the space provided for “spouse name.” – With Ding Cervantes