ISA ang game master na si Derek Ramsay sa nae-excite kung sino sa apat na finalists ng The Amazing Race Philippines 2 sa TV5 ang magwawagi. Mapapanood na ang isang oras na elimination episode sa Sabado bago ang espesyal na one-hour finale sa Linggo, Dec. 7.
May ibubuga pa ba sa huling labanan ang magkapatid na sina Jessy at Anna Cruz; ang Dating Couple na sina Matthew Edwards at Phoebe Walker; The Chefs Elijah Estillore at Roch Hernandez; at sina Mr. Pogi Kevin Engles at John Paul Dura? Sino nga kaya ang mag-uuwi ng bahay at lupa, sports utility vehicle (SUV) at isang milyong piso?
Samantala, maaliwalas na ang aura ngayon ni Derek dahil tapos na ang kaso nila ng dating asawang si Mary Christine Jolly, partikular na ang tungkol sa kustodiya ng anak nilang si Austin.
Paliwanag ni Derek, “It really affects (case), health wise, the aura, and all the stress is out the doors that’s why I’m very, very happy. It’s always every year that something big happens that tests me before the year ends, at pag nage-end ang year, it always ends a happy note, so okay na ako sa ganu’n.”
Sa kapapatayong bahay nilang pamilya sa Palawan daw niya pinaplanong mag-stay sa Pasko dahil sa Bagong Taon ay may countdown daw ang TV5 at kasama lahat ang Kapatid stars.
Hindi nga lang makakasama ni Derek ang anak niya sa Pasko, “Yes, he has to go back (Dubai) to apply for school and all of that, so uunahin nila ‘yun, but he’s gonna spend hopefully, so fingers cross on my birthday, (Dec. 7).
Siguro kaming dalawa lang to spend the whole day together.” Walang partikular na araw kung kailan puwedeng hiramin ni Derek ang anak, “We are supposed to see (each other) and watch me play (Frisbee), but there are some complications, so babawi this weekend, I’m gonna bring him with me in my work.
“I brought him na to TV5 nu’ng nag-voice over ako, ipinakita ko sa kanya kung anong ginagawa ko, tuwang-tuwa naman siya, makulit siya, nakilala na nga (TV5 bosses) siya.
“He’s a very smart kid, he calls me dad, but there’s still a long way for me to go, a lot of time to catch up in the short time that we spend together, ang laki ng steps na nagagawa namin,” kuwento ng aktor tungkol sa kanyang anak.
Sa tanong namin kung okay na sina Derek at Mary Christine, “Civil, for Austin’s sake. A lot of mean words, the allegations thrown on my way, but like I said, truth will prevail, I don’t need to defend myself, so I look what is best for my son and everything will be settled.”
Hindi ba magkakaroon ng problema na ini-expose na ni Derek ang anak sa showbiz dahil baka mag-react ang nanay ng bagets.
“I don’t know what’s her comments on that, but that’s my time, he (Austin) needs to know who I am, it’s a big thing to know who I am, so it’s not that I’m getting him exposed, just wanted him to see what I’m doing.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, if so naman, I’m sure she would given me a phone call and tell me what she feels about it, but wala naman, sana wala,” paliwanag ni Derek.
Sa sandaling bonding nina Derek at Austin, ano ang nadiskubre ng aktor? “I think, I’ve been ready to be a father for so long, there will always chismis that I have kids, ‘coz I always have my nephews and my nieces.
So, I’ve been ready for the longest time to be a father. “I just want to be like how my father is to me, it’s more like of their best friends, rather than father and son relationship, I don’t want my son to be scared of me, I want him…if he has a problem, he’s going to run to me, that’s how we are now, buddy-buddy,” pag-amin niya.
Walang dine-date ngayon si Derek dahil ayaw muna niya at higit sa lahat, kino-consider din niya ang anak na kailangan malaman nito lahat ang nangyayari sa magulang niya.
So, iwas muna raw siya sa mga babae dahil medyo traumatic ang mga huling eksena sa buhay niya. Binanggit ng aktor na ipinagtapat na niya sa anak na may kanya-kanyang buhay na sila ng nanay nito, “I told him that we have separate lives that his mother has a boyfriend, I just told him that I just can’t get involved in your mom’s private life and my focus is on you.
“So the less talk about the mom the better, kasi I don’t want any stories to be twisted and might preach her in a different way and open a new problem,” say ng aktor.
Totoo ba na pumayag siya sa demands ng nanay ng anak niya na humihingi ng malaking halaga para sa pag-aaral at iba pang pangangailangan ni Austin, “No! No!” sagot ng aktor.
“Of course not, as you know, I didn’t go to the press that wasn’t important to me, the most important to me is the best way and the quickest way for me is to be a father to my son. It wasn’t na hinihingi niyang demands, hindi ko kaya ‘yun.
“Kung kaya kong ibigay ‘yun, ibibigay ko na lang ‘yun para matapos na, but I told her, this is what I can give you, buti na lang nagkaroon ng settlement.
Hindi na ako nagpa-apology or anything like that, I never burn the bridge like I said, I’ve been very open to people, alam ng tao kung sino ako.
Ang focus ko is what steps do I need to take so that I can see my son,” ani Derek na busy din sa promo ng MMFF entry nilang “English Only Please” with Jennyly Mercado.