MANILA, Philippines — The recent controversy involving Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings has taken center stage, seemingly eclipsing promotional activities for their upcoming projects — the Metro Manila Film Festival 2024 entry “And The Breadwinner Is” and the action-oriented TV series “Incognito.”
The ABS-CBN Star Magic stars, who first rose to prominence as the onscreen tandem MaThon in “Can’t Buy Me Love,” have been the subject of public scrutiny following allegations of infidelity and an alleged love triangle involving Anthony’s non-showbiz ex-girlfriend, Jamela Villanueva.
On Friday, both Maris and Anthony broke their silence in separate video statements via ABS-CBN News, admitting their mistakes and apologizing for their actions.
“Sa lahat ho ng mga nangyari noong nakaraang araw, sa lahat ho ng nasaktan ko, especially po si Maris saka si Jam, humihingi ho ako ng tawad sa dalawang babae, and sa lahat po ng mga nadamay doon. ‘Yon lamang po, sorry po ulit,” Anthony briefly said late yesterday afternoon after Maris addressed the issue that has grabbed showbiz headlines these past few days.
The loveteam skips the presscon for the Metro Manila Film Festival 2024 entry “And The Breadwinner Is…”
“Nagkamali ako, and I wanna say sorry for everything I have done,” the 27-year-old actress said, baring that she was in a dark place around June when she started getting “the kind of attention that I needed” from Anthony.
She admitted to feeling a connection with Anthony during their daily interactions on set, which she said eventually led to feelings she now regrets.
Maris and Anthony with the rest of the main cast of the upcoming Netflix series ‘Incognito’ at a presscon prior to their controversy. Co-star Ian Veneracion has since come to their defense.
“When I sensed that there was brewing attraction between Anthony and I, nadala ako sa emotions ko and I know that was wrong,” she shared.
Maris revealed that she confessed everything to her ex-boyfriend, OPM rock star Rico Blanco, in July before eventually breaking up — a move she described as “not easy” because she was holding back from telling the truth.
“Bago nagsimula ‘yung madaming trabaho namin, I told Anthony I broke up with my ex and he also said the same thing,” shared Maris.
Complicating matters, Maris claimed she was misled about Anthony’s relationship status. She believed that Anthony had also ended things with Jamela.
The onscreen pairing of Maris and Anthony first rose to fame via the ABS-CBN series ‘Can’t Buy Me Love.’
Then came Jamela’s TikTok reposts about betrayal and dishonesty which sparked breakup speculations between her and Anthony.
Maris said she asked Anthony to give a proper statement that he and Jamela were already over as she couldn’t stand the bashing but the actor would supposedly tell her he was “waiting for the right time.”
Anthony confirmed his breakup with Jamela last Nov. 29 on the sidelines of their presscon for “Incognito,” saying he’s only friends with Maris.
Days later, Dec. 3, Jamela posted “receipts” of Anthony and Maris’ intimate conversation via Instagram stories.
“When I read it, I was gutted, I was shocked. I‘m truly embarrassed. Dahil nakita lahat ng tao yun without my consent –– against my will,” Maris said.
“Dun ko napagtagpi-tagpi ang lahat. Kaya pala hindi siya maka-release ng statement dahil sila pa pala this whole entire time. I didn’t know. I was in the dark. I had no idea,” she further said of being blindsided.
“Ganun talaga ako pag nabigay ng pagmamahal. It was supposed to be private. It was supposed to be a private, intimate thing,” stated Maris.
She said she reached out to the actor’s ex-girlfriend last November but didn’t get a response.
Maris apologized to fans who have supported her over the years. “I want to say sorry to those people I have hurt. Especially to those who supported me for 10 years… Ginapang ko yung career ko mapunta lang san ko gusto.”
Amid the scandal, Maris and Anthony were notably absent from the grand media conference for the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry “And the Breadwinner Is…” held at ABS-CBN Studios. The event, led by Vice Ganda and director Jun Robles Lana, featured other cast members like Eugene Domingo, Kokoy de Santos and Gladys Reyes.
Despite their absence and expectations of a statement from the film’s lead star Vice Ganda, there was no mention or reference to the issue.
Vice only had positive words about the loveteam. “Charming naman talaga sila. Their partnership worked in their previous series,” Vice said, pointing out the strength and unique charm of the tandem, in response to The STAR’s question during the mediacon.
The film, co-produced by Star Cinema and The IdeaFirst Company, revolves around Bambi (played by Vice), a selfless OFW who returns home to a family burdened with problems. Vice revealed that Maris was supposedly part of his past movies but plans didn’t push through.
“Maris is really good and very talented. We cannot discount or disregard that,” Vice said.
“We also cannot deny Anthony Jennings’ (charm). Meron din siyang kakaibang brilyo when you watch him on screen.
“So when Star (Magic) management said na isama natin ‘to, I said, ‘Let’s go.’ Go ako agad because Maris lagi siyang kasama sa movie pero hindi natuloy.”
Ian Veneracion, who worked with Maris and Anthony in “Incognito,” couldn’t also escape questions about the issue on the sidelines of the launch of his upcoming series, Rein Entertainment’s “Drug War: A Conspiracy of Silence” at the Asia TV Forum and Market in Singapore on Thursday.
He wasn’t worried about any possible impact of the controversy on “Incognito,” instead he expressed concern for his co-stars.
“I’m hoping it even helps the project… But with me, I’m more concerned about them. You know, how nasty we can be,” Ian said, adding that he had reached out to the two with text messages.
“Wala lang. Chill!” he told them. ‘Wag niyo pagpapansinin mga yan. Yun lang. Nag-thank you lang sila.”
Years of being in show business has taught Ian that “with fame comes the possibility, always, of shame. I mean, that’s the two shades of the same thing. And wala, eh, it’s part of it, I guess.
“Ikaw ba, naalala mo kung sino nag-viral, you know, three weeks ago? Saka, wala eh, it’s just part of it.
“Yun lang ang importante. And hindi ko naman maintindihan why everybody makes it their business. I mean, it’s private thing between two people. Let them be.”
One thing’s for sure for Ian, he enjoys working with MaThon. “Basta ako nag-e-enjoy ako katrabaho sila, and what they do in the privacy of their bedroom is none of my business.”
Though this issue is perceived to have cast a shadow over their professional lives and their projects are now being scrutinized through the lens of their personal lives, Maris remains determined to move forward. “Tuloy pa rin ang laban. Magtratrabaho pa rin ako kahit mahirap. Hindi pa rin namamatay yung apoy sa puso ko.”
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