Former Sex Bomb dancer and ex-Eat Bulaga co-host Sugar Mercado cries as she recounts her experience as a “battered wife” during an interview with ShowbizLIVE on July 13, 2016.
Former Sex Bomb dancer Sugar Mercado was hurting as she detailed the marital abuse she had allegedly suffered at the hands of her estranged husband of five years. Now she and her parents have been slapped with 15 cases in court including child abuse. Most importantly, she’s fighting for the custody of her children.
In a tell-all interview on July 13 with ShowbizLIVE, Inquirer group’s first online weekly entertainment talk show, the former co-host of noontime show “Eat Bulaga” and ex-Sex Bomb dance group member painfully recalled her sad experience as an abused wife to husband Kristofer Jay Go. Her ticket to fame being the “crying girl” in “Eat Bulaga,” Sugar is crying even louder now for justice and custody of her children.
Her “battered wife” story had been well-publicized, but this time Sugar rued that she had taken lightly warnings from people back then, just because she was blindly in love with the “only man” in her life.
“Nung una, nililigawan ka okay, tapos naging boyfriend girlfriend may patulak-tulak pero pakiramdam ko hindi naman pananakit yun kasi siguro pag mahal mo, hindi mo na iindahin kung ano yung nararamdaman mo eh, medyo mahilig siya sa mabibilis na sasakyan, may mga nakakita pa sa kanya na ganon binantaan ako pero tinuloy ko pa rin, nagpakasal kami, pero nung nagpakasal kami dun ko naranasan lahat ng abuse na ginawa niya sakin,” Sugar opened up.
The real character of her husband was revealed soon after they got married. She said she never imagined that the husband she loved so much could inflict as much abuses.
“Hindi niya ko pinahihinga. Kapag nagagalit siya sakin sinasabi niya mas demonyo pa ko sa magulang ko,” Sugar said.
The petite former Sex Bomb member also told of how her husband would often accuse her of having an extramarital affair and smell her undies after she had come home to check if she had not cheated on him.
“Pag umuuwi ako ng bahay, hinuhubaran niya ko ng panty tapos inaamoy niya kasi inaano niya na may lalaki ako, sabe ng family niya may lalaki ako, so ako confident ako sa sarili kong wala kasi siya first ko eh, siya naka virgin sakin, siya pinakasalan ko, siya lahat. Confident ako na gawin niya yun kasi akala ko normal di pala normal yun ganon,” Sugar recounted.
Sugar was accompanied by her mother, Yolanda Mercado, and lawyer, Gabriela Legal Counsel Atty. Minerva Lopez, during the interview. She also recounted how her husband had allegedly threatened her life and how she sought help from her husband’s family but didn’t get any.
“Dumating na tinututukan niya ko ng baril, kumakatok po ko dun sa kabilang kwarto sa kapatid niya na hindi kami pinapansin kahit nag-aagawan kami ng baril, wala pa po akong anak noon pero kasal na kami,” Sugar said.
But the worst act she experienced from her husband was when she was pregnant, she said. That’s when he allegedly tried to stop her from breathing. The housemaid tried to rescue her, but her husband would not let go of her, she alleged.
“Yung pinaka malala yung sinasaktan niya ko habang buntis ako, hindi niya ko pinahihinga, tapos inaawat siya nung mga kasambahay, yung mga yaya nung mga anak ko ayaw niya kong bitawan so yung tiyan ko ginigilid ko para di niya ko madaganan, masuntok”, she says.
Despite the abuses, she would not want to ruin his reputation.
“Lahat sasabihin ko tungkol sa kanya mabuti kasi ganun ko yun minahal, ang masakit lang sakin pati buntis ako nakita ko sa mata niya na iba na yung itsura niya talagang nakikita ko sa kanya na sinasabihan niya ko ng kung anu-ano, minumura niya ko, verbally. Hindi na tao yung tingin niya sakin sabi ko nga sakanya kahit bilang tao na lang respetuhin naman niya ko,” she added.
“Bibili ako ng bag ipopost ko sasabihin ko galing sa kanya pero ang totoo credit card ko ginamit para lang magmukang okay kami”, Sugar told ShowbizLIVE.
At the moment, an annulment case she had filed is ongoing.
Child abuse
Meanwhile, a child-abuse case has been filed by Sugar’s husband against her but she said that as a mother, she would never do anything to hurt her children. She added that the only “evidence” her husband presented is a video of her child dancing like a “hostess.”
“Ang masakit sakin, ang prinesent lang niya, hindi ko sinaktan yung anak ko at never kong gagawin yun. Yung prinesent lang niya yung video na sumasayaw yung anak ko. Yun lang po yung prinesent niya at sinabihan niya pa ng hostess yung anak ko, yung akin lang, tatay ka, sasabihan mo 2 years old, hirap na hirap ako tanggapin lahat ng ginagawa nila sa pamilya ko lalo na sa mga anak ko, dun ako humuhugot,” Sugar lamented.
Sugar and her estranged husband are also fighting in court for their children’s custody. Sugar belittled her husband’s claim for their children as she claimed he was never a father to her kids.
“Sa buong pagsasama namin, ni hindi niya nga po nalalaro yung mga anak ko, tuwing darating siya…sa bahay maghahawak na siya ng cellphone, magcocomputer, maggigames, bike, lahat po ng pwede niyang gawin. Bakit kailangan mo kunin eh hindi ka naman naging ama sa mga anak ko, hindi mo nga alam kung papano maging ama at ngayon lang nakaranas na tatay ng mga anak ko, ginaganon yung nanay ng mga anak niya kaya din ako lumaban kasi gusto ko makita rin ng mga anak ko na hindi sila mag-aasawa o magboboyfriend na katulad ng sakin,” Sugar tearfully said.
On her in-laws’ “apathy” over her husband’s maltreatment of her, Sugar said, “Nagsabi ko nung buntis ako sa nanay niya, sinasaktan ako ni Jay, wala naman siya reaction na parang natuwa pa siya.”
Husband had multiple mistresses
Sugar also claimed that during the five years they were together in marriage, her husband had several mistresses. She also claimed that her husband’s family even “supported” his infidelity.
“Madami. Twice na kami naghiwalay, yung last, 10 years yun (in a relationship with her husband) ung gusto ng tatay niya, kung mahal ko daw yung anak niya tanggapin ko na dalawa kami sa bahay. Hindi mo naman ako nakuha na kung ano lang na babae diba, tapos ganun gagawin niya sakin, yung pangalawa matapang pa tatadyakan ako, yung isa medyo okay okay naman kasi sabi niya iiwan na daw niya kasi ang sabe daw sakanya hiwalay na daw kami may annulment,” Sugar said.
“Lahat sila, binibigyan pa po nila ng pang regalo sa mga babae niya,” she added.
Pending cases
At the moment, Sugar is facing a total of 15 cases filed against her by her estranged husband. She explained it is the other party’s way of ensuring she would be left with nothing and eventually be forced to give up custody due to lack of financial capacity to support the children.
“Kasama pati nanay ko at tatay ko, talaga pong gusto niya ko ubusin dahil alam niya wala ako pagkukunan ng pera, eh, sila po talaga meron sa buhay eh, pag naubos lalo po nila makukuha mga anak ko, alam nila hindi ko kaya buhayin mga anak ko kaya uubusin nila ko,” Sugar said, sobbing.
Lopez, her lawyer, explained, “There are a total of at least 15 pending cases, halo halo na yun. At least 10 cases pending against Sugar and against her mother, and one case against her mother and her father. These cases include libel, grave threats, child abuse, physical injuries, oral defamation, illegal detention, theft, halos lahat na sa Revised Penal Code noh, puwede nila ikaso. Tinitignan natin ito as retaliatory or harassment suits. These cases were filed to force her to give up the custody of her children. Kung mahahalata, these cases were filed October of 2015 and these cases were filed simultaneously nung finile yung custody case.”
Sugar admitted that she is not in the best financial situation and that the raps against her were demoralizing her. She vowed, however, to fight it out in court for the sake of her children, and with God’s help and the people’s support.
“Ngayon po hindi ako masyado nagtatrabaho kasi pinatong patong nila yung kaso ko para di ako makapagtrabaho para wala akong pangsupport po sa mga anak ko pero sa tulong po ng Diyos may mga tao pong tumutulong sakin,” she said.
Sugar has one last wish and message for her estranged husband: “Sana magbago na siya at malinis sana, patas yung batas. Sana ano, maawa ka sa anak ko para mo nang awa, maawa ka sa mga anak ko, yun lang.”