Annabelle Rama and Nadia Montenegro. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—“She humbled herself, admitted that she’s wrong, and asked for my forgiveness. Who am I not to accept?” said talent manager Annabelle Rama, who publicly patched up with actress Nadia Montenegro on Tuesday.
Rama said she would be withdrawing the court cases she filed against Montenegro and daughter Ynna before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court on Friday.
“For months, my lawyer has been asking me to sit down with Nadia, but I wasn’t ready. When she and Ynna hugged me that day, my heart melted,” she told the Inquirer by phone on Wednesday. “The judge
advised Nadia and I to have lunch. I agreed and we were able to talk.”
Rama said Montenegro admitted to being “brainwashed” by another showbiz personality, whose daughter was also Rama’s talent, into filing court cases against her.
“Nadia said it was this woman’s idea to accuse me of being a pimp. This was because she wanted to force me into releasing her daughter from our contract. She promised she would also file a case against me, but her daughter, who is no longer a minor, refused to cooperate,” said Rama, who refused to identify the show-biz celebrity to protect her talent’s interest.
“I told Nadia, ‘why did you listen to her? You know she’s just jealous of me. You know that I’ve done nothing wrong to you and your children. You should have just talked with me instead.’” Rama recounted. “Nadia admitted she made a mistake. I also said sorry for the negative things I said about her.”
Rama said her move to reconcile with Montenegro shocked her family, especially her daughter Ruffa Gutierrez. “She came to me and asked me if it was true. I told her, Nadia already said sorry. What would
people say of me if I continue to be angry with her? I’m not heartless. I feel bad about Nadia’s daughters. They should not have been involved in our quarrel,” Rama pointed out.
To her detractors, Rama has this message: “Mahirap akong kaaway. Attending court hearings is my passion. I’ve never been absent in any of them. I make sure to arrive early. I never back away from any
fight, but I never start them.”
Celebrity mother Nadia Montenegro on Tuesday dropped two of the 26 cases filed in five courts against Rama.
In a TV interview on Tuesday, she said she’s very happy that her prayers were answered and finally, she can move on.
Her lawyer, Atty, Maggie Abraham, said Montenegro will soon execute more affidavits of desistance in four courts in the cities of Quezon, Pasig, Makati and Caloocan.
The feud between Rama and Montenegro started in 2011, when Montenegro accused Rama of making her children work for more than 40 hours. Montenegro’s daughters, Ynna and Alyanna Asistio, were once managed by Rama.
This was followed by a series of verbal skirmishes posted on their Twitter accounts. With a report from Totel V. De Jesus, INQUIRER.net