MANILA - Former beauty queen and actress Rochelle Barrameda has admitted that even she could not explain why forgiveness for her sister’s killer came so easy. “Ang masasabi ko doon sa witness, siya ang nag-semento, siya ang nag-utos kung paano patayin si Ruby [Rose], siya ang nagtapon sa dagat. Pero hindi ko alam kung bakit hindi ako nakaramdam ng galit sa kanya at napatawad ko siya,” Rochelle said, referring to suspect-turned-state witness Manuel Montero.
It was Montero who told the police where they could find Ruby Rose's body, which was recovered from the murky waters of Navotas City last week.
The victim's body, which was encased in cement, was found inside a rectangular steel case dumped one nautical mile from the Navotas City's shore, police said.
Initial autopsy results said Ruby Rose could have died of suffocation, possibly as a result of being strangled. She disappeared in 2007 while reportedly in dispute with her husband, Manuel Jimenez III, over the custody of their two children.
Rochelle recalled that when she first saw Montero, instead of anger, she hugged him and thanked him for “bringing Ruby back to them.”
“Hindi ko alam kung bakit pero siguro kung hindi dahil sa kanya hindi namin makakasama si Ruby,” she said.
She said Montero had asked for her family’s forgiveness and had shown remorse for what he did.
It was, however, a different story for the Jimenez family. Ruby Rose’s father-in-law, Manuel Jimenez II, his brother Lope and four others have been charged in connection with the murder.
“Ang hirap. Ang daling sabihin [na patawarin mo]. Pero pag ikaw ang nasa sitwasyon ang hirap,” Rochelle said.
She also vowed that her family would do everything for Ruby Rose’s two children. The Barramedas are fighting for the custody of Marga Ysabel, 9, and Marta Rosia, 2. The Buzz
