Amalia Fuentes, husband agree to split...i got this article from daily inquirer and it tells the story how the annulment process of Amalia Fuentes being Processed and done...
CEBU, Philippines -- An emotional Amalia Fuentes faced the court Tuesday to answer a petition for marriage annulment filed by her estranged husband Joey Stevens.
Although the 62-year-old movie icon did not shed tears, her 24-year-old son Gerard was teary-eyed as his mother narrated in court how her relationship with her spouse turned sour.
She accused her husband --who appeared calm and smiling throughout the pre-trial hearing at a Mandaue City court -- of having an illicit affair with a woman from a prominent clan in Cebu.
"He was with a woman openly. They are showing themselves in public blatantly," said Fuentes, whose real name is Amalia Muhlach-Stevens, as she glanced at Joey and pointed her finger at him on several occasions during the trial.
It was a sight not often seen -- at least for court employees -- as a celebrity trial does not normally occur in Mandaue City.
Court employees crowded at the lobby, awaiting Fuentes and her celebrity daughter Liezl Martinez.
Thirty minute after the two-hour pre-trial began, Regional Trial Court Judge Teresita Galanida ordered everyone -- except for the couple, Liezl and Gerard -- to leave the courtroom, saying "sensitive issues" were to be discussed.
When the courtroom was again opened to the public about 40 minutes afterwards, a compromise had been reached between the couple: Joey would withdraw the annulment petition after Amalia filed a separate petition for legal separation in Manila.
After the trial, Joey hurriedly went out of the Mandaue City Hall of Justice building, avoiding interviews from the media.
While waiting for his car, Joey was asked whether he still had feelings for his wife. He replied: "No comment."
Amalia, in a separate interview after the trial, reiterated her claim that Joey was having an affair with a woman "who is much richer than me."
Joey filed an annulment case against Amalia 28 years after they wed on August 10, 1979. According to his lawyer Rolindo Navarro, the grounds for the annulment petition they filed in July 2007 include psychological incapacity.
"Sometimes, even when my client [Joey] plays golf, she will not even allow him to do so. At his age, he is entitled to have fun [referring to a game of golf]," lawyer Rolindo Navarro said.
The husband's lawyer also said that the marriage between Amalia and Joey in 1979 was null and void because the divorce between his first wife (a certain Olondez) in the United States had no legal bearing in the Philippines based on the 1950 civil code. "The Family Code took effect after 1987," Navarro explained.
Amalia's lawyer Redemberto Villanueva, on the other hand, said the 1979 marriage was binding. He also questioned the lack of technical requirements for the petition. He said that there was no definite support for claiming psychological incapacity.
Villanueva also said that they also questioned the filing of the case in
Mandaue City, far from both Amalia and Joey's residence. But Navarro replied in a separate interview that Joey has been living in North Town homes in Cubacub, Mandaue City since December last year.
"It's so difficult for me to come down here because I am a very busy woman. The last time I was here was seven years ago. The only good that came of this case was that I was able to see your beautiful city," said Amalia who was already smiling in interviews after the hearing.
Fuentes, who became famous in the 1960s as a movie actor, stood confidently after she, as a respondent, was asked to say her piece in court.
She said she was loyal to her husband for 28 years but took exception to the petition for "disrespect" because it named her as Amalia Amador Muhlach instead of Amalia Muhlach-Stevens.
"I carried your name with dignity, with honor, with loyalty. I was loyal to you and now he's calling me Muhlach. This is my maiden name. He just wants to shame me. This is a way of shaming me," said Amalia as her son Gerard patted her arms as if to calm her down.
"I am still Mrs. Amalia Stevens whether you like it or not, whether you have another Mrs. Stevens in mind, I am right now your Mrs. Stevens...Joey."
Amalia also said in court that she had been receiving death threats allegedly coming from her husband after she granted interviews with the media in Manila. As a result, she said she filed a separate petition for temporary protection order (TPO) against her husband.
The case is still ongoing at a Manila court, said Amalia.
"It is so hurtful and painful that a man I have respected would show me this kind of disrespect," she added.
While Amalia was speaking in court, her husband was seen shaking his head and smirking.
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