MANILA, Philippines - There is no “third party” and she just wants no part in corruption.
Patricia Cruz-Bautista, the estranged wife of Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista, yesterday denied her husband’s accusation that she is having an extramarital affair.
In an interview with ANC, Patricia said her supposed lover, identified earlier by The STAR as businessman-model Alfonso “Alvin” Lim, is just her friend.
“We are very good friends. We worked together so if you see pictures of us together, it’s normal. We work together,” she noted.
The wife admitted that she was “very close” to Lim as they are “both energy healers.”
“People can interpret that the way they want. This rumor was started by his (Lim) ex-girlfriend Margarita Fores four, five years ago and it’s still there and I’ve never said anything but for me what people think of me is not my business. It’s up to them, I’m not going to convince anybody,” she added.
Fores is the renowned chef and restaurateur Margarita “Gaita” Araneta-Fores, a cousin of former Sen. Manuel Roxas II.
She cautioned the Comelec chief for talking about infidelity because she could always defend herself while he could not.
“There are a lot of people that will be affected. I have four children and they’re boys and I don’t want to go (to that),” Patricia said.
According to her, she decided to divulge Bautista’s alleged ill-gotten wealth to protect their children.
“I want to make sure that my kids ..... (will) know the difference (between) what’s right and what’s wrong and corruption is wrong,” she maintained.
Patricia admitted that she had been negotiating with Bautista to get half of their conjugal assets but he was imposing some conditions.
She claimed she decided to come out and reveal his unexplained wealth because she does not want to have a part of his questionable assets. The couple did not sign a pre-nuptial agreement before they got married.
“By law, I am entitled to half of what Andy owns but I want only half of what is clean. This why I am bringing it to the government to tell me which part (of his money) is clean,” she added.
Mystery woman
A mystery woman had brokered the meeting with President Duterte in Malacañang of Bautista and his estranged wife Patricia, her lawyer disclosed yesterday.
Martin Loon, who represents Patricia, said that a friend helped set up the meeting with the President in a bid to reconcile the feuding couple.
“I want to protect the name of the friend who helped us set the meeting with President Duterte,” Loon told ANC’s show “Headstart.”
He also denied social media reports that it was Liza Marcos, wife of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who set up the meeting with the President.
Loon said Patricia told him that she does not know Liza Araneta-Marcos personally.
“It wasn’t Tita Liza who set the meeting. If it were her, I would have told you so; but it wasn’t her. I just want to protect the identity of the friend who helped us set the meeting with the President. But definitely, it was not Tito Bong or Tita Liza at all,” Loon said.
In a press conference on Monday, Bautista confirmed the meeting with the President.
Bautista also expressed willingness to resign from his post amid allegations by his wife that he had unexplained wealth of almost P1 billion.
He relayed to the President that he is ready to resign if he becomes a burden to the Comelec when they met in Malacañang last Aug. 1.
“I didn’t offer (to resign). I just said that I will not cling to this position and if he thinks I have to go, no problem with that. He said: ‘I am not asking you to resign. That is really your call,’” he noted.
Bautista recalled that Duterte was very kind during the meeting and even offered him good advice from his own experience with his family.
His sister Susan, his mother-in-law Baby Cruz and stepfather-in-law Danny Vasquez accompanied him to the meeting.
The poll chief also vehemently denied his wife’s accusation that he had several properties and savings accounts that he did not declare in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN).
Duterte confirmed that he met Patricia on July 26 to discuss the case she intends to file against her husband.
“Gusto nila ipaalam na mayroon silang ipa-file na kaso kasi nga (they want to inform me of the case they would file since) the integrity of the entire elections may be put into (question),” Duterte said.
Duterte, however, said he does not want to meddle in the controversy involving Bautista’s allegedly unexplained wealth.
“I don’t have jurisdiction over the case. Hindi naman ako ang mag-imbestiga (I’m not the one who will investigate). I’m not a congressman or senator when it becomes an impeachment case,” Duterte said in a news conference.
Bautista in turn accused his wife of stealing cash, gift checks, ATM cards and other financial documents belonging to him and his family 10 months ago, “many of which her lawyers embellished, doctored or fabricated” and used to “extort and blackmail me.”
Bautista charged that in June, his wife had tried to “extort” some P620 million from him as a settlement for their divorce.
“It is apparent that she and her long-time lover concocted this extortion plan with guidance from ill-intentioned lawyers who thought they could threaten me into simply turning over hard-earned and legitimately acquired assets belonging to me and my family. They were wrong,” he added.
Bautista said he is ready to face any investigative body that will look into his wife’s allegations.
Patricia said that her husband, who was appointed as Comelec chairman in May 2015 by then president Benigno Aquino III, had money in banks, condominiums and interest and shares in companies established overseas that the poll chief allegedly did not declare in his 2016 SALN with a total estimated value of almost P1 billion.
Bautista declared P176.3 million in total net worth in 2016.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II had directed the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the allegations of Patricia and build up possible cases if warranted.
In her Facebook post, freelance journalist Charie Villa denied yesterday that she is the public relations consultant of Patricia.
Villa, a former executive of ABS-CBN, however, admitted that she called the media people she knows and trusts to interview Patricia last Friday.
She said she met Patricia and her friend Alvin Lim, who were conducting charity work under the Angel Brigade and Tao Po to give relief to victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda in Leyte.
Villa also denied that she was paid to help Patricia.