Celebrity L.A. Scene archive page 2

Ruffa Gutierrez' life and career has been so much colorful, as well as controversial. The actress is currently enjoying her serene life in Los Angeles (carefully planning her motherhood) when some unscrupulous writers from the Philippines dug up an issue, about Yilmaz' having a child before his marriage to Ruffa, and the Turkish government's case against his father's failure to declare a surmountable wealth.

A visit at Ruffa's Beverly Hills house last night (05-01-03), by the invitation of the just arrived Tita Annabelle and Tito Eddie Gutierrez, led me, by chance, to this unexpected task of relaying the following faxed statement from Yilmaz Bektas. By the way, Yilmaz will be heading to Los Angeles come second week of May to be with Ruffa, and to find a house where they will call home.

Here is the (unedited) public announcement from Yilmaz Bektas:

I am in the position of making this public announcement and give the following explanation about untrue speculative news merged in the Philippine Media about my family. First of all, even if the news appeared in this respect were true, I hereby reproach all the news made for only the rating purposes that hurt the human honor, not conforming to the newsman ethics, and made up without involving any research. I also hereby ensure everybody that we will not hesitate to use our legal rights in this respect through our legal councilors to the utmost extend.

Every child wishes his/her father to be the king of the country of happiness, but reality is not comprised of the wishes alone. The circumstances & fate in addition to his will specify the quality of the individual. As a father has no chance making his choice of his child, a child also has no chance making the choice of his father. A person, entity, institution or even God Himself cannot judge the child for the father's decisions in life.

Regardless of what my father does for a living, even if I would approve of his profession or not, I still feel great honor that he is my own true blood. Every individual is responsible for himself & has the opportunity in making the right choices in life. You may fall down lower than the animals or be glorified over the angels … this is the definitive exclusiveness, character and risk of any human being. These expressions are the ones that I would like to spell out personally.

With the reference to the news that came out in a Turkish Daily newspaper published in Turkey that was featured in the Philippine news this week, I would like to clarify the following in my own name & in behalf of my family:

I was married on 25.03.2003 for the first and last time to Sharmaine Ruffa Gutierrez. There was nothing solemnized in marriage with anybody else before such date. Therefore under the Turkish Civil Code, I have the right to solemnize a marriage for which I am fit in all respects. I had a daughter in 1999 from my ex fiancée, Selen, having duly registered the child in my census log under my family name. We have mutually terminated this relationship in a peaceful settlement as two modern individuals. Since we have a child, we have been maintaining our relations at an appreciable level.

About the rumors that broke out about my father, Muhittin Bektas, his bank accounts with high deposits have been frozen due to alleged failure in making them declared. The trial has continued for about 2 years now. Since it was a big amount that was failed to declare, the press wrote speculative news predicting that such amount of moneys might have been earned from unfair deals such as gold, diamond, arms, drugs, and oil smuggling.

At the end of the litigation, the action was extinguished in favor of my father. However, due to political reasons, in 1998 the action was re-enacted. The case is presently being heard and has not been concluded yet. Our legal councilors will describe all details related to these affairs thereafter.

What I would like to say in addition to the above as a Nationalist … a young, successful entrepreneur, I want to reconsider matters related in investing with other entrepreneurs who are supporting me in the Philippines. I am not a showbiz personality but rather a businessman who aims on planning to employ thousands of people with my investments. I am not intending to be a part of dishonors maintained for the sake of ratings in the press. It actually hurts me to mention the name of my country under these columns as a nationalistic person.

Last, and certainly not the least, I am kindly requesting the Philippine people and media to bless my marriage with Ruffa which integrated two different cultures having destroyed all the taboos despite coming from two distinctive cultures, countries and religious backgrounds. Please pray that we may have a happy life, and a healthy baby. I hereby without any beneficial concern and with all my sincerity stress in saying that I love very much the people of the Philippines who are still able to smile in spite of it all.

Yours very sincerely,
Yilmaz Bektas

(E-mail comments at carnay25@hotmail.com)

OLIVER CARNAY regularly writes for BALITA MEDIA, INC. ("Balita USA", "Weekend Balita" and "Go4Women Magazine", available online at http://www.balita.com/ and www.Go4Women.com), ASIAN-AMERICAN PEOPLE'S JOURNAL (circulated in northern and southern part of California), Philippine and other Asian Headline newspaper – circulated in Sacramento, San Francisco and its vicinities) also published in northern and southern parts of California. In San Diego, he writes for FAME Magazine and PHILIPPINES TODAY. In New York, he writes for PLANET PHILIPPINES, with an online version at http://www.carouselpinoy.com/. He is a also contributor for BUZZINE Magazine (www.buzzine.com), AUDREY Magazine (www.audreymagazine.com), an occasional correspondent for www.siklab.com, PARA TODOS Magazine, and other L.A. based publications. He is the Los Angeles correspondent of Global Pinoy Entertainment Corporation (GPEC) which publishes S Magazine (circulated in Manila, all over the United States and other parts of the world) and PINOY GAZETTE (published in Hong Kong, Japan, and its vicinities). He is an active member of the National Press Photography Association (N.P.P.A.), Press Photography Association of Greater Los Angeles (P.P.A.G.L.A.-see www.ppagla.org for member listings), and is under the directory list of the Motion Picture Association of America (M.P.A.A.) covering movie Premieres and other Hollywood events. More recent news and Photo Galleries of Hollywood and local Fil-Am events recently covered can be seen at his new web site http://www.hollywoodflip.com/. Besides being busy maintaining his web site and writing for domestic and international publications, Oliver Carnay manages Talents, is also a Publicist and an event organizer. Email him at carnay25@yahoo.com or at webmaster@HOLLYWOODFLIP.com

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