Ngayong March ay isang taon nang hiwalay ang aktres na si Sheryl Cruz sa asawa nitong si Norman Bustos.
Sa pagdalaw ng PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) sa taping ng "Ganti ng Puso," ang pilot episode ng SRO Cinema Serye ng GMA-7, ang kanilang hiwalayan ang pinag-usapan namin ni Sheryl. Ayon sa aktres, kahit isang taon na silang hiwalay ay hindi pa siya nakaka-move on.
"It's gonna be fake to tell you that I have moved on," sabi niya. "Yes, almost one year this March, ilang days na lang magiging one year na."
Bakit hindi agad na-announce ang tungkol sa paghihiwalay nila?
"Kasi, I'm waiting for the papers to be finalized," paliwanag niya. "Yung akin lang naman, kung ano lang yung hiniling at napagkasunduan namin, para na lang pareho kaming magkaroon ng peace of mind. At saka para stress-free na rin para sa mga magulang namin na hindi na rin naman bata ngayon. Ayaw na namin na magwo-worry sila. Plus the fact na alam kong private person siya [Norman] and I'm a public personality. I do understand the privacy issues, na para bang I do respect their privacy much more my daughter's."
Ano ang tunay na dahilan ng pakikipaghiwalay sa kanya ni Norman?
"Yun din ang aking tanong. Sabi niya, I belong here and he belongs there. Yun lang."
THE DIVORCE. Hindi pa makapagbigay si Sheryl ng mga detalye tungkol sa divorce petition ni Norman. Hindi pa raw kasi bumababa ang desisyon tungkol dito.
"No, not yet. Kasi it still has to be finalized, that's why. Sa akin lang, I really want closure also for myself, di ba?"
Pero aminado si Sheryl na nasaktan siya sa pag-file ni Norman ng divorce. Ito ay sa kabila ng tatlong beses pala silang ikinasal.
"Almost 13 years, it's not that easy for me, especially since we share a daughter," sabi niya. "Gusto naming ayusin muna yung papers namin bago namin pag-usapan yung daughter namin. But of course, we both want shared custody, we want to share the parenting."
Nasa poder ni Sheryl ngayon ang anak nilang si Ashley.
"Siyempre naman. Kasi unang-una, gusto ko naman magkaroon ng structure yung buhay ng bata. I'm not saying na he's [Norman] not naman... Every parent means well naman. Ang sa akin lang kasi, sanay na siya sa surrounding niya dito, meron na siyang schedule na sinusunod. Ayoko yung biglang nalilito yung bata, na maya't maya iba yung kanyang environment.
"I don't have any problems with my daughter going for a vacation, as long as we already have the papers in order. That's why I really can't talk so much about it. Kasi kahit ano pang mangyari, malalaman at malalaman yun ng lahat. Napakaliit ng mundo at hindi na kailangang manggaling sa akin."
JUST LIKE ORDINARY PEOPLE. Marami sa kanilang mga kaibigan ang nanghihinayang sa pagkawasak ng kanilang pagsasama ni Norman. Ano ang masasabi ni Sheryl dito?
"Maraming naghihinayang, pero as you all know, different couples, different problems. Hindi ko puwedeng sabihin na pare-pareho ang ating mga problema. Maaari na nakaka-relate sila sa ibang problema namin. Ang akin lang kasi, why make a big deal out of everything that's going on personally in my life, na alam ko naman na pinagdadaanan din naman siguro ng marami sa atin?
"It's just that it's more magnified in my case. Kasi nga, artista ako mula pagkabata ko hanggang sa paglaki ko, hanggang sa pagbalik ko hanggang sa nagkaroon na ako ng anak, hanggang sa nagkaganito na yung aming sitwasyon. Artista pa rin ako. Kung sino ako, that's me.
"Hindi naman ako nagpakasinungaling sa sarili ko. Nagpakatotoo lang naman ako kung sino ako. Hindi naman ako yung taong nagpumilit na tanggapin muli ng publiko, siyempre they have their different opinions.
"Pero what matters here, kung ano man yung nangyayari between the two of us. As much as I can say I would like it to be between him and I... Kasi ayoko talaga na magkaroon ng involvement yung aming mga pamilya. Kasi unang-una sa lahat, I don't want to stress them out. They have their own families to think of, they have their own problems to think of. They have concerns for us, they care for us, they love us. But it's the two of us naman, it's between the two of us.
"It's not between us and them. Kami naman ang ginustong magpakasal, kami yung nagkagusto na magkaroon ng anak. Pero as much as yung paghihiwalay, kinailangan kong ipaubaya sa kanya yung gusto niya. I just agreed to something na I really wanted it not to fall apart. I know that we could still work things out. Pero if the person is really miserable and that's what he's asking for, ang akin, what can I do? Kahit na sabihin ko pang I want to work things out, kung ayaw na?"
THE FEELING IS NOT YET GONE. Pero amindo si Sheryl na mahal pa niya si Norman.
"Ako naman, mahal ko until now, mahal ko. I will be a liar kung sabihin kong hindi na, kasi forever he will be the father of my daughter. That's why if you're going to ask me if I'm moving on, no. Kasi kung sino man yung darating sa buhay ko right now, kawawa lang. I will just compare and you don't want to compare kasi we are all unique. Kasi ginawa tayo ng Diyos na unique. May iba-iba tayong talento, may iba-iba tayong ganda, may iba-iba tayong weaknesses, may strengths tayong iba. So, ayoko ng ganun.
"Kasi right now, all I can think about is yung 13 years and nakakahinayang. Sometimes people don't understand and I'm not pushing for them to understand. What I want them to know is that we are all human. Kahit artista, we are prone to the same problems they are prone to. We are not invincible, nadadapuan din kami ng sakit, namamatay din kami, nagwawala rin kapag nasasaktan, kapag may angry feeling na kailangan mo rin minsan na ilabas.
"I'm not a perfect person, and I know naman in my heart and in my mind I didn't wish anybody ill. Kung ano man, para mapagbuti yung sarili ko. I tried, although I know I'm not perfect also.
"Ang sa akin lang, please give us a breathing space also, plus meron kaming anak. Kung kayo may mga anak din kayo, I'm sure you would want the best for your kids even if it didn't work out. Relationship-wise, between my husband and I, as friends, we both want to bring out this beautiful child, to give her a chance in life."
Magkaibigan ba sila ni Norman ngayon?
"Nagkakausap kami if it's for Ashley's interest. Ang akin lang, if it's about personal matters talaga, especially his personal involvements, that is not my business na, e. Kumbaga, hindi naman ako ganung klase ng tao na hindi marunong magbigay ng respeto, kasi meron naman akong pinag-aralan. We're civil for the sake of our daughter. I want us to become friends eventually, although it's too soon to say," pahayag ni Sheryl.
LIVING IN A FISHBOWL. Sinabi rin ni Sheryl na kahit nanggaling siya sa isang showbiz family—being the daughter of '60s superstars Rosemarie Sonora and the late Ricky Belmonte—nahihirapan siya kapag halos lahat ng tungkol sa kanya ay pinag-uusapan at nababalita, lalo na ang tungkol sa kanyang personal life. Pero eventually, natanggap na raw niya na bahagi ito ng buhay niya bilang isang artista.
"Yung akin, it's hard enough to be a public person. They're just looking at you just like you're a fish in a fishbowl, di ba? Pero I grew up loving this life. Before, I couldn't understand why everybody is so interested in my life to begin with, na parang hindi ko yun ma-get.
"Ngayon, when I look back and I think about the eight years I've been away from the limelight, now I begin to appreciate my job more. I begin to appreciate kung ano man yung ibinuhay sa amin ng mga magulang namin, more, because it's not an easy job," pagtatapos ni Sheryl.