Kabayan Remit's first brand ambassador Ruffa Gutierrez (center) with Kabayan Remit executives Princess Manalo (left) and Karina Salve Untalan.

MANILA -- Nearly two decades since actress-beauty queen Ruffa Gutierrez last saw her former husband Yilmaz Bektas in 2008, the former couple is bound to see each again next month, as Bektas is scheduled to come to the Philippines to visit his daughters.

Gutierrez’s daughters – Lorin and Venice – who are both studying in the US, are also expected to return to Manila to meet up with their dad.

Although there’s no more love at this point in their relationship, Gutierrez said the father of her kids will always have her respect.

“That will never go away,” Gutierrez said. “We shared something together. Iba talaga ‘yung asawa than a girlfriend.”

It also helped that Bektas is based in Turkey, where the girls were born. “It helped that he’s far away,” said Gutierrez. “Walang gulo. He’s not here. I raised the girls on my own.

“I never said anything against Yilmaz. I told my girls the truth, but I also insisted that they respect their dad. My kids are my best friends, so I tell them everything. I don’t hide anything from them.

“Love of a father is also important. My kids are always looking forward to spending time with their dad.”

“He has no right to question me about my love affairs,” added Gutierrez. “I also don’t have the right to get mad at him, whoever he dates lately.”

When Bektas announced he would visit the Philippines in May, a number of girls surprisingly messaged Gutierrez.

“Don’t message me,” Gutierrez lamented. “I am no longer in Yilmaz’s life for so many years. To all the women who reacted, please don’t message me. They got affected.

“Let him come and spend time with his kids. It’s not about me anymore. It’s about him having a connection with the kids again.”

Although Gutierrez remains the provider for Lorin and Venice, Bektas also gives financial help now to his daughters.

“Salamat sa mga endorsements ko,” said Gutierrez who was recently named global brand ambassador for Kabayan Remit, an online money transfer platform to the Philippines, available in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom.

For her daughters, Gutierrez feels like an OFW who is here in the Philippines and the girls are abroad receiving their allowance from the mom.

“It’s not only financial, but communication is important to us,” said Gutierrez. “We regularly communicate through social media. We do FaceTime everyday and keep each other updated.

“That’s my way of showing love to my kids, sharing our day-to-day routines. If I don’t hear from them for one day or they don’t hear from me, they would ask what happen.

“Even if Lorin is 21 and Venice is 20, they are still very clingy. Natutuwa naman ako with that. They are also up-to-date with news happening here in Manila.”

Lorin is taking up Integrated Marketing and Advertising at Pepperdine University in California. She is graduating in December.

Venice, meanwhile, is a freshman college taking up Political Science and goes to a university in Texas.

Admittedly, it is never easy for Gutierrez to send her daughters to school and be away from them.

“It’s always difficult that my children are far away from me,” she said. “That’s hard for me, but what I always think about, even if I’m an empty-nester, I know that what I’m doing now is for their future.

“That they have a choice to be what they want to be one day – a diplomat, business woman, lawyer – maybe not just in Manila. And now with social media, it’s easy for them to flourish on their own.”

The girls return during summer and Christmas break. “It was harder back then when I only sent fax messages,” Gutierrez said. “Phone calls were expensive then. Social media makes our communication easier and faster now.”

Although her love life is not totally a secret – she is seeing former politician Herbert Bautista – Gutierrez does not give details of her relationship with the actor.

“Our relationship is there, but it’s not something which I share online all the time,” Gutierrez said. “I feel that when the relationship is private, you don’t have to flaunt it.

“What is important is what happens behind social media, behind the scene. We don’t have to broadcast everything. Mas masaya ang private.

“When everyone gets into your business, everyone has an opinion. Honestly, what’s really important is not what everyone else says.”

Gutierrez insisted it’s really important to find someone whom you will love for keeps.

“At the end of the day, your children will settle down and have their own family,” said Gutierrez. “You really have to find someone whom you will share your life with.”

Gutierrez and Bautista don’t check on each other’s activities. “He always sleeps ahead of me,” she said of Bautista. “Short kwento ko lang, tulog na siya. Ten o’clock, tulog na. Hindi siya lakwatsero.

“We don’t check on each other. That’s bad on our health. We just need to relax and chill.”