After nearly 18 years of silence, actor Patrick Garcia has finally opened up about his highly publicized breakup with actress Jennylyn Mercado.
Garcia and Mercado began dating in 2007 and announced in January 2008 that they were expecting their first child.
However, the couple ended their relationship a month later while Mercado was still pregnant.
At the time, Mercado was the one who publicly spoke about their split, saying she felt she received little emotional and financial support from Garcia during her pregnancy.
She also claimed that Garcia appeared to question the paternity of their unborn child, which deeply hurt her.
Their daughter, Alex Jazz, was born on August 16, 2008.
In a recent interview with Ogie Diaz, Garcia explained that he decided to tell his side after his daughter, Michelle, expressed sadness over the backlash directed at their family whenever his name came up online.
Garcia said he had kept his story private for 18 years, hoping that the issue would eventually be forgotten.
He said he is speaking now because he believes the public has unfairly judged him and his family based on the events surrounding his past relationship with Mercado.
Meanwhile, Mercado’s talent agency, Aguila Entertainment, said the actress would rather not share her side of the story out of respect for the privacy and peace of mind of both her family and Garcia’s family.
(Photo Courtesy: PEP.PH)
