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RUFFA EXPLAINS MAKATI MEDICAL MISSION FIASCO

Makati City, Sept. 3, 1998- Actress Ruffa Gutierrez has reacted to the new lawsuit being threatened by a Makati group which claims to have been "victimized" by the non-appearance of a medical mission promised by the actress.

In a statement sent to the Inquirer, Ruffa said her foundation, the Roof-A-Child Foundation, did not abandon its August 16 medical mission project in Makati, but that due to a big miscommunication, the medical volunteers supposed to take care of 950 indigent patients "for reasons unknown failed to show up."

The actress sent the statement after the Liga ng Makati sa Kabuhayan Foundation (Masakaf) threatened to file damage, breach of contract and misrepresentation charges because Ruffa and the promised 30 doctors and medical volunteers stood up the patients at Carmona Complex, Makati, on the day of the scheduled medical mission.

Ruffa claimed she was in London at the time of the mission.

"However, my parents including my brothers have confirmed their presence for the said event in lieu of my absence. It was never our intention to inconvenience anyone but there are just things beyond our control and one of them is such," Ruffa tried to explain.

Roof-A-Child Foundation project director Zendle Carbonell also defended Ruffa. "Masakaf members should not put the blame on Ruffa. Nobody's perfect."

The beauty queen-actress counter-charged that the Makati group was motivated by its own agenda when it threatened to sue her.

"I think they're just using RACF for their own publicity stunt," she charged.