“No, I never planned to,” she says at the presscon of “Rhodora X”. “I’m already self contained after Pete (Roa) died in 2007. Happy na ako with what I’m doing, my work and my advocacies. But with King, it’s a humbling acceptance for me na hindi pa pala ako complete. Role model ko siya, e. Mabait na ama, mabait na lolo. He’s intelligent, we have a meeting of the minds. Classmate sila ni Pete sa Ateneo, e. His wife Olga died in 2008.”
Is it true that this is her first time to be married in church as she and Pete didn’t have a church wedding? “But we had. When we eloped, we first had a civil wedding then a church wedding at the Assumption Parish, on the same day, June 5, 1964, so we would have been celebrating our golden anniversary sana this June. But yung wedding namin wasn’t a grand one. Kung ano lang yung suot namin ng magtanan kami. We didn’t even have wedding rings. Unlike ngayon, my two sons will give me away and my daughters will be my matrons of honor. Mga apo namin will be bridesmaids, coin bearer and flower girls. I have nine apos and he has eight, so it’s a big family.”
Will she continue her acting career? “Yes, kasi siya rin naman tuloy lang ang kanyang law practice. He even told me to continue using my name now as an actress, no need to use Rodriguo except in my legal papers.”
Will they have a pre-nuptial agreement? “We haven’t talked about it. Napag-usapan lang kunsaan kami titira. He has a house in Alabang, pero malayo for me. I said, why not just join me in my condo which has four-bedrooms. Yung son ko lang ang kasama ko roon. He agreed, on condition that he’s going to pay for the amortization in full then put it in my name. Talagang napakabait niya.”
Boots has also finished four new movies: “Unfriend” for Direk Jay Altarejos that is now an entry in the Berlinale, the TV5 movie “Lady Next Door” with Alice Dixson. “Train to Love” for Adolf Alix and “Erotika Manila” for Elwood Perez where she plays a transgender.
