Judy Ann Santos looks back on 2005 tax case

Posted by ReyFort Media

After 20 years, Judy Ann Santos revisited the infamous 2005 tax evasion case filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) dismissed in 2013.

During an appearance on the “Moment To Moment” podcast, hosted by life coach and book author Pia Acevedo, Santos described it as exhausting — a moment when she had to fight for her name.

“Hindi ko napansin na dalawang araw akong tulog tapos may isang mahabang pause ako na nagawa nung araw na nagising ako at na-realize ko na pagod na pala ako. Sa laban na ito, wala akong kasama. Ang daming nangyayari na hindi ko naiintindihan,” Santos vulnerably shared with Acevedo.

“Unang kaso sa buong bahay ko — ‘yung proseso, ‘yung mugshots, lahat ng kamera, nakatutok sa ’yo,” Santos added.

Going deeper, she stated that when people are not benefiting from a situation, they tend to distance themselves. “‘Pag wala ka pa lang kikitain, ikaw lang mag-isa,” she highlighted.

She further explained, “‘Pag may kinikita ka, biglang ang dami mong kasama. Pero ‘pag may problema kang pagdaraanan — na puwedeng sumabit ang mga pangalan nila — biglang wala silang kinalaman (pakialam) sa ’yo.”

Reflecting on the BIR battle, the Kapamilya superstar pointed out that it helped her discover her own “worth” and “freedom.”

“That was my moment of pause na ‘It’s time that I take control of my decisions, my life, my worth, what I want to do, what projects I want to take, how will I reinvent myself,’” she said.

“Pero hinayaan ko lang siya na parang I know na it needed to happen, na I had to know kung ano ‘yung accounts ko, magkano ba talaga ang kinikita ko,” she added.

Throughout her showbiz career at the time, she worked as an actor and endorser without knowing how much she was paid. “Wala akong alam kung magkano talaga ‘yung binabayad sa akin.”

Saying that it had taught her to have a voice, she went on, “If that didn’t happen, I will never find my worth and I will never learn how to stand up for myself and have a voice. [Doon nagsimula na] tumatapang na ako at nasasabi ko ‘yung gusto kong sabihin.”

Claiming that voice, she said, ultimately led to her freedom.

“Nung nagsimula na akong bumali (to break free), nakararamdam na ako ng freedom. ‘Yung freedom na ‘yun, ang tawag ko lang doon noon ay nagrerebelde ako. But it was actually freedom. I was creating my own platform. Kailangang alam at gusto ko ‘yung ginagawa ko. Then andoon na ‘yung pag-sink in na hindi ako puwedeng basta sunod lang nang sunod,” she ended. (J. Mercado/abs-cbn)