Derek Ramsay Defends And Prays For Friend Kris Aquino & Family

DEREK RAMSAY successfully ended 2014 doing comedy in “English Only, Please” (to be released in various cities in the U.S. this month) and he now starts 2015 doing his first sitcom, “Mac & Chiz”, shown Sundays at 8 PM and is the toprater among the new shows introduced last month of the Happy Network, TV5. His contract with TV5 is expiring. Will he renew it or, as rumored, will he move back to ABS-CBN now that he’s doing movies and in good terms again with them?

“The TV5 executives have talked to me about their intent on wanting to renew, but nothing is formal yet. If they’d tell me that they’re happy with my services and they want me back, I’ll believe them and for me, that's beautiful. That's what's great about TV5, the bosses call you personally and will say, 'Hey, we're very happy with you and we want you back.' So, if they're happy with my services, which looks like they are, I have to give them priority.”

How is it working with Empoy Marquez as his twin brother in “Mac & Cheese”? “I know it’ll be fun kasi nagkatrabaho na kami noon sa ‘Super Inggo’ ng ABS-CBN. I was Machete and he was Petrang Kabayo. So ngayon, enjoy lang kami doing the show. We’re exact opposites here. Nagkahiwalay kami as babies kasi pinatapon siya ng stepmom namin. Ako, I grew up rich, refined, well educated. Siya, lumaki sa probinsiya, tindero ng lugaw sa kalye, street smart. When our dad died, pinahanap yung kakambal ko and I was so surprised na si Empoy nga siya. At first, ayokong maniwala but he turned out to be a very good cook like our dad at makakatulong siya sa aming chain of family restaurants.”

What can he say about the trials currently faced by his good friend Kris Aquino, with whom he’s doing a movie called “Chemistry”, because of the Mamasapano Massacre? “Siempre, I sympathize kung anuman ang pinagdaanan niya at ng family nila. I texted her and told her to remain strong. Kris is very close to her family. And when she reads messages that her brother should die, that’s personal. It’s okay to have an opinion but some people just take it too far, saying all these hurtful things against her like it was her fault. I’m praying for her and their family, for the victims and our whole country . We really don’t know much about this touchy issue. The President has his reasons. We put him there. Let’s trust him to lead.”