Michael de Mesa-Gina Alajar split: It's really final

By ALEXANDER T. MAGNO, GMANews.TV The separation of Michael de Mesa and Gina Alajar is final as final can be: Not only did Michael file for annulment in the Philippines, where they got married, he also filed for divorce in the US, because having immigrant status, the couple had to follow Callifornia law, they really wanted a clean break with the past. Both the annulment and the divorce — filed under a "no-fault" clause that's allowed in California — have been granted by the courts. And yet fans and fellow actors seem skeptical about the finality of it all, familiar as they are to the countless times the couple split and then made up in their 23 years of marriage. And those who don't doubt the finality of the separation can't seem to accept that it was a joint decision of the couple, agreed on, ironically, without the fighting that had regulary shaken up their marriage. That's seems to be the reason they found it necessary to appear, individually, in two GMA shows — Gina in last Saturday's StarTalk and Michael in Sunday's S Files. They related, without going into detail, why they had to call it quits. In his S Filles interview with Richard Gomez, Michael said: "We've tried so many times. It's been on and off, on and off. We were still hoping that things would change — until we finally decided, we're not really meant to be together." In her Startalk interview with Butch Francisco, Gina said: "When two people start having differences of opinion as to where the marriage will go, there's a problem there." Their kids, at least according to Michael, also were also relieved about the decision. "The boys have been very understanding. They witnessed the fights we had. For them, we would be better off separating." The couple has three boys — Ryan, Geoff, and AJ Eigenmann — all of them also actors. So they both agreed to get an annulment and a divorce, at a time when they were already content with their individual lives. "We were both okay with our own lives," he told Richard Gomez. "We both wanted closure. So that we both could move on," Michael added. Of course, he admitted that he has, in fact, moved on, saying: "I have a girlfriend now... She came at the right time. She picked me up when I was down." The girlfriend is Hot Legs dancer Julie Reyes, whom he has been for five years. They own K9 Couture, a pet grooming saloon, which opened last January at Tiendesitas in Libis, Quezon City. Gina is also happy, according to Michael: "I hear she's very, very happy with her single life." But in an Chika Minute interview, Gina admitted being suddenly sad on finally knowing that the annulment had been granted: "I was alone in the car. Naiyak ako doon. May luha na tumulo kasi parang: Oh, this is it." Asked by Richard Gomez if he's willing to get married again, Michael said: "Why not? I'm just taking things one step at a time. But it's just not in my mind now." On the other hand, Gina, though admitting to be over the marriage, is not even ready yet to entertain suitors. In that Chika Minute interview, she said: "Hindi pa, kasi may takot. Hindi ko pa alam kung paano kumilos sa single world." As final word to his S File interview: "Once and for all, I have spoken, and I won't have to speak again about the issue."