Pagkalipas ng ilang araw mula nang sumambulat sa social media ang nakakabulabog na Instagram posts ng ex-girlfriend ni Anthony Jennings na si Jam Villanueva, binasag na sa wakas ni Maris Racal ang kanyang pananahimik.

Si Maris ang itinuturong dahilan kung bakit nagwakas ang halos pitong taong relasyon nina Anthony at Jamela.

Pinararatangan din sina Maris at Anthony ng cheating o panloloko habang may kanya-kanya pa silang karelasyon.

Sa pamamagitan ng YouTube channel ng ABS-CBN ngayong Biyernes, December 6, 2024, inilahad ni Maris ang kanyang panig sa pinagpipiyestahang kontrobersiya.

Suot ang puting turtleneck na cardigan, dire-diretsong nagsalita si Maris sa loob ng 14 minutes at 27 seconds.

Inako ng aktres ang kanyang pagkakamali.

Panimula ni Maris, “Today, I will be speaking from my heart. Lahat ng sasabihin ko ay galing sa puso ko.

“Today, I will take accountability for everything.

“Nagkamali ako and I wanna say sorry for everything that I have done.”

Pagkatapos nito ay inilahad ni Maris ang mga kaganapan na nagpalapit sa kanila ni Anthony sa isa’t isa, at naging dahilan ng pakikipag-break niya sa dating boyfriend na si Rico Blanco.

“It all started last June of 2024. I was in a very dark place.

“I was lonely and I was getting attention from Anthony. The kind of attention that I needed.

“When I sensed that there was this brewing attraction between Anthony and I, nadala ako sa emotions ko. And I knew that was wrong.

“I came clean right away, I told my ex everything and I admitted things to him. And then we broke up.

“It wasn’t easy. It was very hard for me, too.

“I announced the breakup.

“The reason why I became emotional during the interview [was] because I was holding back the truth. Yun ang totoo.”

MARIS ON BECOMING CLOSE TO ANTHONY

Nagsimula ang pagiging malapit nina Maris at Anthony nang maging magkatambal sila sa Kapamilya drama series na Can’t Buy Me Love.

Dahil sa tagumpay ng kanilang tambalan ay pinagsama silang muli sa upcoming action series ng ABS-CBN na Incognito at sa MMFF 2024 movie ni Vice Ganda na And The Breadwinner Is…

Dahil sa araw-araw nilang pagsasama sa trabaho ay lalong napalapit sa isa’t isa sina Maris at Anthony.

Inamin ni Maris na tuluyang nahulog ang loob niya sa kapareha, dahil na rin sa ipinapakitang pagpapahalaga sa kanya ni Anthony.

Saad niya: “I wasn’t really able to simmer down. I wasn’t able to reflect on what had happened.

“I was working every day for days straight, weeks straight, months straight.

“Bago nagsimula yung dami ng trabaho namin, I told Anthony that I broke up with my ex. And he also said the same thing.

“Mind you, I was in a very lonely place. I’m so lonely. I was so vulnerable at that time. Like everybody na kaka-break lang, you would be so vulnerable.

“I was working every day at sa lahat ng trabaho na yon, kasama ko si Anthony.

“Aaminin ko, sa araw-araw na pagtatrabaho namin, nahulog din yung loob ko.

“He would be very sweet to me. He would be such a gentleman to me.

“He would say things to me. He would kiss me on the set in front of other people.

“He would tell all the people who are close to me that he was single.

“So I was confident to act a certain way around him on the set, because in the eyes of the people there, we were both single.”

MARIS SAYS SHE ASKED ANTHONY IF HE IS STILL WITH JAMELA

Noong September 2024 ay lumipad sina Maris at Anthony sa Italy, kasama ang iba pang cast ng Incognito, para sa taping ng kanilang teleserye.

Dito raw mas lumalim ang kanilang damdamin para sa isa’t isa.

Pagtatapat ni Maris, “Dun nag-start naging deep yung pagkakakilala namin sa isa’t isa. I really fell.

“Nung pauwi na kami from Italy, it was my birthday. We were stuck at the airport the whole day.

“He would say things to me that are sweet. He would say promises. We would tell promises to each other.

“And then, nung pauwi na ng Italy, I felt so happy that I had to post something on my IG Story just to appreciate him during that day.”

Ang buong akala raw ni Maris noong mga panahong iyon ay break na si Anthony at ang partner nitong si Jamela.

Lahad ng aktres: “And then pagkauwi ko, I think the next two days, I saw a post or a repost ni Jam on TikTok. Nakita ko lahat yon.

“And at that time, yung time frame na yon, na sa screenshots din na nangumusta ako. I said, ‘Kumusta si Jam?’

“Nangumusta ako kay Jam, it wasn’t because dahil alam ko na sila pa. Dahil alam ko she was going through something and Anthony had to take care of her.

“But at that time, nagtatrabaho pa rin kami and he would still be the same way to me.

“I would ask him, God knows I asked him, ‘Nagkabalikan ba kayo?’ He said no.

“‘Do you still love her?’ He said no.

“He would say things na ako yung gusto niya and all.

“I really asked him so many times.”

Dahil sa TikTok post ni Jamela ay inulan ng batikos si Maris kaya tinanong umano niya si Anthony kung kailan ito maglalabas ng statement na nagsasabing break na sila ni Jamela.

Pagbabalik-tanaw ni Maris: “And then the first wave of bashing on TikTok. Masakit yon para sa akin.

“I asked him, ‘When are you going to release a statement na wala na kayo? When?

“‘Because in the eyes of the public, you were saying you were taken but I know you’re not. And you would be very sweet to me. When are you going to release a statement?’

“He would tell me, he was waiting for the right moment.

“I didn’t want to be pushy. I didn’t want to aggravate things so I waited and kept quiet.

“Because it wasn’t my story to tell anyway. I kept quiet.

“October passed. We were working still every day.”

Muli raw nakatanggap ng pambabatikos si Maris mula sa netizens dahil sa Instagram post ni Jamela na tumutukoy sa kanila ni Anthony.

“And then, Halloween,” pagpapatuloy ni Maris.

“It was the very first night we went out na medyo sweet kami sa isa’t isa.

“The next day, Jam posted on her Instagram Story, there were no names mentioned. There were no names but people are insinuating that it was Anthony and I.

“So the waves of bashing came again.

“I asked him again, ‘When are you gonna release a statement?’”

Sa puntong ito ay tuluyan nang tumulo ang luha ni Maris.

Aniya, “God knows how many times I begged for a statement. I begged him to fix this cause I’m so tired of getting bashed.

“He said, wait. He’s just waiting for the right moment. I waited. I still kept quiet.

“I really wanted to speak up but it wasn’t my story and I would look really pathetic.”

ANTHONY JENNINGS FINALLY RELEASES A STATEMENT

Sa presscon ng Incognito noong November 29 ay nagbigay na sa wakas ng statement si Anthony tungkol sa estado ng relasyon nila ni Jamela.

Dito ay kinumpirma ng aktor na break na sila.

Pero para kay Maris, huli na ang lahat dahil sa puntong iyon ay lumalayo na raw ang loob niya kay Anthony.

Saad ng aktres: “Days went by, the presscon of Incognito happened. He released a statement.

“To me it was too late because at that time, I was slowly distancing myself from him romantically.

“The infantuation and the attraction died. But thank you for the statement.

“I thought everything was in the clear. I thought everything’s gonna be okay.”

JAMELA POSTS SCREENSHOTS OF MARIS AND ANTHONY’S PRIVATE MESSAGES

Hanggang noong Martes ng gabi, December 3, nabulabog ang netizens nang kumalat ang Instagram Stories ni Jamela kung saan ibinahagi niya ang screenshots ng pribadong pag-uusap nina Maris at Anthony sa Messenger.

Lumalabas na mayroon nang relasyon ang dalawa kahit hindi pa break sina Anthony at Jamela.

Ikinabigla raw nang labis ni Maris ang mga nabasa niya.

Lahad niya: “Ilang days na ang lumipas, the screenshots.

“When I saw, when I read it, that was 10 P.M. on a Tuesday night.

“When I read it, I was gutted. I was shocked.

“I’m truly, truly embarrassed dahil nakita ng tao lahat yon without my consent, against my will.

“I read the screenshots over and over and over again.”

Pero dahil sa mga nabasa niya ay napagtagpi-tagpi raw ni Maris ang mga pangyayari.

“Ang pinaka-shock ako dun, I read it, it was the perfect narrative that there was this other woman, that there was this apologetic boyfriend, and the avoidant boyfriend turns the other woman and the scorned woman.

“That’s the narrative. That’s her [Jamela] side of the story. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

“But this is my side. This is my side.

“And upon reading those screenshots, dun ko napagtagpi-tagpi lahat na kaya pala hindi siya [Anthony] makapag-release ng statement dahil sila pa pala this whole entire time,” saad ni Maris.

Napagtanto rin ni daw ni Maris na pareho silang “clueless” ni Jamela at nagdepende sa mga sinasabi sa kanila ni Anthony.

Aniya: “I didn’t know. I was in the dark. I didn’t know. I had no idea.

“God knows ilang beses akong nagtanong. Ilang beses akong nanghingi ng statement.

“Dun ko rin na-realize, bakit ganun yung reactions ni Jam. Now I get her.

“I get her pain. I get her wrath. I get her anger.

“Kaya pala ganun cause she was clueless about everything. I was clueless about everything.

“We both believed kung ano ang mga nasabi sa amin. Maybe iba yung sinabi sa kanya, and I can attest that iba yung sinasabi sa akin.

“That’s my side of the story.”

MARIS DEEPLY EMBARRASSED BY WHAT HAPPENED

Sa huling bahagi ng kanyang pahayag ay humingi ng tawad si Maris sa lahat ng mga taong nasaktan, kabilang na si Jamela, at sa mga nakabasa ng mga pribadong mensahe niya kay Anthony.

Pahayag niya: “Hindi ako makapaniwala na mapapahiya pala ako nang ganito sa buhay ko.

“So to the public, I’m sorry that you got to see that very intimate side of me. Ganun talaga ako pag nagbigay ng pagmamahal.

“It was supposed to be private. It was supposed to be a private, intimate thing.

“I’m sad. I’m sad na nakita yon ng tao.

“And yes, I don’t wanna play the victim here. Nagkamali din talaga ako.

“And I wanna say sorry to those people I have hurt.

“I reached out to Jam last November. I did not get a reply. I think that was last November. Because I wanted to know what’s up.

“So, I’m sorry.

“Most especially I’m very sorry, truly sorry to those people who supported me for ten years.

“Alam nilang lahat na ginapang ko yung career ko mapunta lang sa kung saan ko gusto.

“Ginawa ko lahat, pinaghirapan ko lahat. Sa tulong nila nagagawa ko yung mga gusto ko.”

Pagkatapos ng lahat ng ito ay hindi raw alam ni Maris kung ano ang mangyayari sa kanyang career na pinaghirapan at iginapang niya. Pero tiniyak niyang magpapatuloy siya sa trabaho.

Saad niya: “I don’t know where I’m gonna go. I don’t know saan ako papunta.

“Yung dignidad ko hindi ko na mahanap.

“Whenever I go out, whenever I walk, I feel like I’m a naked woman walking.

“Hindi ko alam ano gagawin ko. I’m so embarrassed.

“And I’m sorry that you get to see that.

“But I can assure you, tuloy pa rin ako. Tuloy pa rin ang laban.

“Magtatrabaho pa rin ako kahit mahirap. Hindi pa rin namamatay ang apoy sa puso ko.”

Sa huli, iginiit ni Maris na isa lamang siyang nilalang at malayo sa pagiging perpekto.

“I’m still looking for that little girl inside of me. It’s hard to look for her now. But someday I will be able to hold my shadows.

“What you saw was not a perfect human. I’m far, far from being perfect.

“What you saw was a human being. I’m just a human being. That’s it.”