Kahit magkalayo, hindi pa rin nalilimutang batiin ni Judy Ann Santos and kanyang best friend na si Beth Tamayo.
Ilang taon nang naninirahan sa Amerika si Beth, pero nananatili pa rin ang matibay na pagkakaibigan nila ni Judy Ann.
Sa Instagram, binati ni Judy Ann si Beth sa ika-45 kaarawan nito noong September 21, 2024.
Ayon kay Judy Ann, kahit malayo sila sa isa't isa, nananatiling maganda ang samahan nila ng kanyang "kabetchi" — ang kanilang term of endearment bilang matalik na magkaibigan.
Mensahe ni Judy Ann, "My dearest kabetchi..@bethtamayo21 though thousands of miles apart.. you will forever be my ride or die. i miss you so.. and love you for the rest of my life. Happy birthday!"
Sabi niya sa isa pang post sa Instagram Story, "P.S. pag magkita tayo.. lahat ng sulok at anggulo na pupuntahan natin.. magpipicture tayo ng madaming madami!!!"
Mapapansin kasing puro lumang pictures ang gamit ni Judy Ann sa kanyang pagbati kay Beth.
Read: BFFs Judy Ann Santos and Beth Tamayo reunite in the US
judy ann santos-beth tamayo FRIENDSHIP
Nagsimula sa ABS-CBN teleserye na Esperanza (1997-1999) ang pagkakaibigan nina Judy Ann at Beth.
Halos 26 years na ang kanilang pagkakaibigan.
Kuwento ni Beth sa PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) noong taong 2008, "Ten years na kami ni Juday as very good friends, to be exact.
"Nag-start kasi nun sa Esperanza, hindi na kami naghiwalay. Kami ni Juday, mabibilang mo lang sa kamay namin yung masasabi mong kaibigan talaga namin.
"We have so many mutual friends, pero yung kami lang talaga, iilan lang kami sa circle namin."
Pero sa first few years ng friendship nila, hindi raw sila ganun kadalas magkasama.
"Dati kasi, she was busy, I was busy. Kaya yung bonding namin, hindi masyado.
"Ngayon lang yung halos araw-araw kaming magkasama, ngayon yung lagi kaming nagbabakasyon na magkasama."
Nag-away na ba sila ni Juday?
Sagot ni Beth, "Hindi pa. Yung away talaga? Never pa.
"Tampuhan, pero hindi yung major. Kasi kapag magkaibigan naman kayo, dapat kahit masakit o pangit, you can actually tell to each other."
Read: Beth Tamayo talks about deep friendship with Judy Ann Santos
Sa huling panayam ng PEP.ph kay Beth noong August 2024, sinabi nitong wala pa ring nagbago sa pagkakaibigan nila ni Judy Ann.
Aniya, “We’re good! We don’t talk all the time, we don’t need it.
"Sabi nga namin, we don’t really have to do like a monthly check-in or whatever. But when we do, we…
"Mas maganda pa nga yung random, e, like sometimes, randomly, I’ll just send her videos or pictures of Sloane, sabi ko, ‘Tingnan mo itong inaanak mo.’
“Yung mga biglaan lang, and sometimes she would text me back and say, ‘Oh my God, this made my day, thank you so much for sending this!’
“And then, ganun din siya, like she would send me pictures of the kids, sina Ate Yohan, si Lucho, si Luna.
"We have been planning to see each other, I think yung last na kita namin was 2019 pa, iyon yung nag-Mexico kami, and then, the pandemic happened, hindi kami nakapagkita na.
“We have been planning to see each other, pero nagkasali-saliwa na. Then I got pregnant, and then, I started, siyempre, taking care of… iba na kasi ang buhay when you have kids.
“And then, I think nung nag-New Zealand sila… was it last year? I don’t know if it was last year or this year. I wanted to go, but for some reasons, I can’t go.
“Mahirap na, e, kung ako lang, kung wala akong anak at walang dyowa, bakit ba?
"Mabilis naman akong… kaladkarin ako, I would always meet them and be there right away.
"But, I guess, the dynamics now have been different and has changed, since we have a toddler.
“She wanted to meet me sa Japan, when I ran the Tokyo Marathon last year, 2023, yeah, yung nandun din sina Mommy [Zeny, Beth’s mother], sina Dom [Dominic Roque, Beth’s nephew], dapat pupunta siya.
"But again, I think with schedule, I think she was shooting something, so last minute hindi siya natuloy.
“But it was fine, sabi ko nga, sa amin naman ni Juday, wala namang nagbago, distansya lang. Kung ano kami before, ganun pa rin naman hanggang ngayon, so nothing has really changed.
“I love her dearly and I think mas lalo lang lumalalim o mas lalo lang parang yung feelings ko about our friendship has just been like validated.
"Na no matter what, ano man yung distance namin, ano man yung mga pinagdaanan and all, matibay kami, we will always remain friends, no matter what.
“So, she will always be my kabetchi, and I know she has my back all the time, all the time, and she always thinks about me and about the kids and like… si Sloane."
Maging ang mga pamangkin ni Beth, kabilang ang aktor na si Dominic Roque, ay malapit kay Judy Ann.
"She was a big help sa mga pamangkin ko din, of course, like Dominic’s very close with her and kina Ryan, with the Agoncillos basically.
“So, during that time that Dominic needed some good people around him, and I was so happy and lucky that the Agoncillos were there for him. So you know, he’s family, which is so, so appreciated by us.”
Read: Beth Tamayo grateful for what her life has become in the U.S.
Additional report by Rommel Gonzales