MANILA, Philippines - Actress Judy Ann Santos admits her tax evasion case is one of the reasons that she?s holding off her altar date with fiancé Ryan Agoncillo.

She told Inquirer Entertainment on the set of her latest film, Regal?s ?Mag-Ingat Ka Sa ? Kulam,? that she?s praying her tax woes will have been resolved by the time she ties the knot with Ryan.

?We weren?t a couple yet when that case was first filed against me (in 2005),? she explained. ?Ayokong madamay si Ryan (I don?t want Ryan to get dragged into this). And I?d rather not start a family with this problem hounding me still.?

On her own

She insisted that that she intends to solve the crisis on her own.

?I make my own decisions,? she said. ?I don?t want to stress out my mom. I don?t bother Ryan, either, because he?s busy working.?

She made it quite clear, ?As far as I know, I am not guilty of anything. But whatever is the court?s decision, I will accept it.?

Last week, the Supreme Court rejected her appeal, but she took this in stride.

?I was down, but only days later we learned that ?Ploning? was being fielded as the country?s entry in the Oscars (for Best Foreign Language Film),? she related.

She noted that, for her, bad news is always followed by good news. ?The year has been like a roller-coaster ride for me,? she said. ?If not for my faith, I would have gone crazy!?

She?s excited about the latest accolade for ?Ploning,? her first venture as producer. ?Being chosen to represent the country is an honor enough. It?s like we?ve won already.?

She doesn?t even consider the fact that ?Ploning? edged out ?Caregiver,? produced by Star Cinema, to be a vindication.

Leaving ABS-CBN?

Earlier this year, Judai was reportedly slighted because her home network, ABS-CBN, didn?t support ?Ploning? and instead pitted another Star Cinema project against it.

?I?m not being show biz (plastic); it never crossed my mind,? she said. ?I?ve already talked with my bosses [at ABS-CBN] and we?ve settled our differences.?

Which leads inquiring minds to ask: Is it true that her latest ABS-CBN soap opera, ?Humiling Ako sa Langit,? will be her last project for the network before moving to GMA 7?

?Anything is possible,? she quipped. ?GMA 7 has always been kind to me. In any case, I would be married by then. My priorities would be different.?

She gave the same answer when asked about her purported refusal to campaign for Sen. Jamby Madrigal in 2010: ?There was no formal offer. In any case, by 2010, my focus would most probably be starting my own family. Also, I would endorse a candidate for free if I believed in him. Hindi naman ako mukhang pera. (I?m not obsessed with money.)?

All signs point to a wedding

The way the conversation went, all signs pointed to her settling down soon. Time apart has strengthened her relationship with Ryan, she said. He?s arriving today from Argentina, where he shot ?Pinoy Fear Factor? last month.

?I miss him,? Judai admitted. Good thing there?s Wi-Fi in their Buenos Aires lodging. ?We?ve kept in touch via Skype and Yahoo Messenger, or via text messages.?

Separation, she said, was a learning process. ?We got to resolve a lot of things, issues that had to be settled between us, as individuals and as partners.?

Over all, the time apart enriched them, she said.

?It made me a better person, and I got to spend more time with our [three-year-old adopted] daughter Yohan. I was with her almost every day?taking her to school, bringing her around, even to the salon for her haircut.?

Seems like a nifty preview of things to come. ?After all these, the fame and the controversies,? she said, ?all I really want is to be a good wife and mother.?

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