The Gutierrez Family Defends Their Own

I finally saw a scene that could possibly be an acting piece for Richard Gutierrez. The actor appeared on a taped interview with his lawyer to answer the lawsuit filed against him by Lorayne Prado, the widow of Richard’s PA, Nomar, who was killed in a car accident two months ago.

The Gutierrez family must be feeling insecure about their chances of coming out victorious in this lawsuit because one by one members of the Gutierrez family is coming out to defend their beleaguered family member.

The Gutierrez brought out the bigs guns - and I don’t mean Jun Lalin. Family patriarch Eddie Gutierrez came out briefly from under Anabelle Rama’s skirts to defend his son. Eddie Gutierrez is considered the more respectable member of the family because he doesn’t talk much. He talks only during important events, like when eldest daughter Ruffa Gutierrez came home a battered wife, and now, when Richard Gutierrez, the biggest money earner in the family, is facing a criminal case.

Ruffa Gutierrez and Richard’s twin Raymond used their respective showbiz talk shows as a platform to prop up the innocence and generosity of their brother, and in the same manner discredit the actions and feelings of the widow who is seeking justice.

I thought after the initial salvo from Anabelle Rama, the family decided to lock up their matriarch in her special room with the voodoo dolls to prevent her from spewing more inappropriateness that is bringing the family down, for reals, in the arena of public opinion.

I was wrong. Her interview in a radio program is a classic lesson on not what to say when you badly need public support. There were so many WTF moments as I was listening to Anabelle Rama. Well, if your PR person is Jun Lalin, don’t expect much, okay?

The central theme of the Gutierrez’s defense is their generosity to the Pardo family before, during and after the tragic accident. They kept on harping that the help was not out of obligation because it wasn’t Richard fault that the accident happened.

FYI, Anabelle accidents are unintentional and not premeditated but they are often caused by something or someone. There is no question that Richard did not mean for the accident to happen but he is accountable for being the driver of the car.

If we must play the blame game, who or what could be the culprit, if not Richard? Let’s see. The coconut trees for simply standing there, not getting out of Richard’s way when his car was careening off the road? Could it be the curved road for not being straight so Richard could drive on his merry way without incident? Or Nomar for not wearing a seatbelt in the backseat of the car?

According to Ruffa, her brother was not speeding and was very careful as he drove the car. Take this with a grain of salt because Richard was driving a Nissan GT-R, a car built for speed in a race track. It’s not a station wagon that the family takes on vacations or road trips.

I will assume Richard likes speed. Otherwise, he would go for a van or SUV. So for a speed enthusiast, the need for speed must be very tempting on an open, nearly deserted road considering the time the accident happened.

The family, taking note from the police and onlookers, said that the area is accident prone. There have been seven or so accidents in the same spot. How many vehicles pass through that stretch of road in a given day? Hundreds, thousands? Those seven or so have been careless while the rest respected and followed the road warnings.

By the way, the price of a Nissan GT-R is in the millions so why is the Gutierrez family quibbling over P4 M? It’s a drop in the bucket for them. If they are so really hard up, why don’t Anabelle sell two or three of her diamond jewelries? Para mabawasan naman ng kaunti ang kinang niya pag lumabas sa TV.

I don’t think Richard or any of his family members feels accountable for Nomar’s death. This is the core of the issue of why the Gutierrez cannot simply hand over the money, which is not an unreasonable amount. Richard Gutierrez, according to her nanay, has the highest per episode pay among GMA Network’s stable of stables. Is it so hard to let go of the money that you would earn back in a few days or weeks of work?

The families have reached an impasse so a logical solution is to let the courts decide on whether the family of the deceased is entitled to damages and whether Richard should be jailed for reckless driving. The Pardos are not traitors or mukhang pera for going to court. So many people have sued over the shallowest and most frivolous of reasons. Ehem, Anabelle Rama, ehem.

As Richard was explaining his side during the taped interview in Startalk, I could see the sadness in Richard’s eyes. Or is it fear caused by the unbidden thought that serious jail time is a real possibility in his future?

Richard was explaining that he too felt saddened about Nomar’s death; that it was an accident that nobody wanted to happen. Yeah, it was tragic. Who wants to have another’s life on their conscience? But I could not feel full-on sympathy for Richard simply because his mother’s name is Anabelle Rama. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way.

That in itself is tragic - to attract negative vibes and enemies along the way, not because of your own doing and regardless of whatever kindness or generosity you extend to others, but because there are no words bad enough that can describe what your mother is. Tactless and insensitive barely scratch the surface.

Richard’s pretty face is fucked.