American national Rod Lauren Strunk had been conducting an illicit relationship with another woman in the same house he shared with his late wife, the actress Nida Blanca, in suburban Quezon City, a television report said.

The report added that this led to the widening rift between the couple until the actress's gruesome murder on November 7.

"The couple had been staying in separate bedrooms," said the report, which quoted an insider.
Blanca has three grown up adopted children, all of whom are working as professionals.

Earlier, after the murder of the actress, one of them chastised the media and blamed them for "separating the family and giving the people wrong information".

The woman was shown crying on TV as she denied reports that Strunk had gone to look for Blanca at the sixth storey parking space of the Atlanta Condominium building when the actress failed to come home past midnight of November 6.

Strunk had admitted to investigators that he had gone to look for his wife and seen her empty car in the parking lot at 2am on November 7.

The report stated that when Strunk was pointed out as the alleged mastermind behind the actress's murder, sources volunteered information that he was an alleged wife beater, and the actress a habitual gambler because of loneliness. This could not be corroborated.

Meanwhile, Blanca's only daughter, Catherine Jones-Torres, has asked for additional security because she is living in the same house as Strunk.

Torres is also looking for the last will of her mother, which Strunk allegedly forced her to sign. It will be used as evidence against the alleged mastermind.

While making her request, Torres said that when she arrived from the U.S., she was instructed by Strunk to be careful because something bad might also happen to her. "I think it was a threat," noted Torres. She refused to give more details to the media.

"She is in a dangerous situation," said actress Anabelle Rama. Blanca's friends from the show business have given assistance to Torres. She is the sole heiress of the Blanca estate, in a will which the actress finalised several days before she died.

Philip Medel, a self-confessed hired-killer, earlier said Strunk was asking Blanca to produce the last will she was supposed to sign, when they saw each other at the parking lot between 1 and 2am on November 7.

Medel quoted Blanca as cursing her husband, as she said: "I have been feeding you and you are doing this to me."

When she could not produce the will she was supposed to sign, he instructed his women friends to attack the actress instead. He also asked Medel to stab the actress.

"The husband even kicked his wife when she was trying to resist the blows," claimed Medel.

Strunk and Blanca have been portrayed as a wholesome couple. They were featured by Sustagen, a health drink, as an example of a health-conscious and perfect couple in their 60s.

Strunk has received a subpoena from authorities, but he did not sign it. This prompted Justice Secretary Hernando Perez to say: "We are going to give Strunk time to prepare for his defence."

Police authorities submitted their evidence to the justice department, which gave Strunk 10 days to reply.