Actress and comedienne Rufa Mae Quinto revealed in an interview on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda on Friday that she and her husband, Trevor Magallanes, are currently going through challenges in their marriage.

Quinto admitted she has not yet had the chance to fully discuss issues with her husband following the circulation of screenshots of alleged conversations that stirred speculation on social media.

“Bilang asawa, inaantay ko lang na maging klaro kami, makapag-usap pa rin kung totoo bang iyon ang nararamdaman niya. Kasi lagi nga rin akong wala, so baka puwedeng lambingan na muna, maki-usap,” she shared.

(As a wife, I'm just waiting for us to be clear, to be able to talk about whether that's really what he feels. Because I'm always away, so maybe we can be affectionate first, talk.)

Quinto acknowledged her own shortcomings in their relationship, especially since she began accepting projects in the Philippines while her husband and their daughter, Athena Alexandria, remained in the United States.

“Lagi akong wala in short. Siyempre there’s always two sides of the story, pero naiintindihan ko rin na hindi naman puro ako lang ang tama. Siyempre siya rin naman may reason din, pero we’re going through something, tinatanggap ko,” she said.

(I'm always away. There are always two sides to the story, but I also understand that I'm not the only one who's right. He has his reasons too, but we're going through something, I accept it.)

No plans for annulment or divorce

Quinto clarified that they have not filed for annulment or divorce.

“Kasi kung ayaw na rin naman niya, bakit ko hindi rerespetuhin yon? Pero yung legalities, yung mga file-file ng divorce, walang nag-file. So, hindi ako magpa-file kasi ang dami ko nang file… sa kaso. Ang daming file, so ayoko munang mag-file sa mga divorce-divorce, annulment din,” she quipped.

(Because if he doesn't want it anyway, why shouldn't I respect that? There is so much to file, so we haven't filed for divorce or annulment.)

Quinto expressed hope that her husband would consider the welfare of their daughter, Athena Alexandria, who has started asking about their relationship.

“Dito rin naman kami kasi ikinasal sa Pinas, so… hindi ko na alam ang gagawin. Masyadong masakit pa, tapos may anak din kami na nagsabi, ‘When our family will be together?’ Sabi ko na lang, wala, e, ang hirap sagutin di ba?”

(We got married here in the Philippines, so… I don’t know what to do. It’s still too painful, and then our child asked, ‘When will our family be together?’ I just said, no, that’s hard to answer. Isn’t it?)

Clearing misconceptions

The actress praised her husband’s role as a father and a partner, emphasizing that their issues are not related to finances.

“Mabuti siyang ama, mabuti rin siyang asawa, kaya lang hindi siya artista. Ayaw niyang matsismis, ayaw niya yung pinag-uusapan. Tahimik siya, very private kasi. Siyempre nasasaktan siya kapag maraming nagsasabi na dahil sa pera,” Quinto clarified.

(He's a good father, he's a good husband, but he's not an actor. He doesn't like gossip, he doesn't like being talked about. He's quiet, he's very private. He gets hurt when people say that it's because of money.)

She further elaborated, “Sabi nga niya, ‘Ang dami-dami kong ibinigay sa ’yo.’ E, wala naman akong sinabi. Sabi ko, ‘Kung may nagsasabi nun, ibang tao.’ Pero kinaklaro ko, hindi kami nagkakagulo dahil sa mga kaperahan. Kung may problema kami sa pera, e, di nag-aaway kami, pero hindi yon.”

(He said, ‘I gave you so much.’ Well, I didn’t say anything. I said, ‘If anyone says that, it’s someone else.’ But I’m making it clear, we don’t have problems because of money. If we had money problems, we wouldn't fight over them, but that's not it.)

Holding on to love

Quinto remains hopeful for the future of their family and their nearly decade-long relationship.

“Oo naman, mahal ko siya siyempre. Saka gusto ko siyempre makumpleto ang pamilya namin. Ako kasi, kung ayaw na, rerespetuhin ko yon kahit masakit sa akin. Siyempre naman, bakit ko pipilitin ang isang tao kung ano ang nararamdaman niya?”

(Of course I love him. Of course I want our family to be complete. If he doesn't want it, I will respect that even if it hurts me. Of course, why would I force someone to feel something?)

Quinto and Magallanes married in November 2016 after meeting during a vacation in San Francisco.