‘Nagkamali ako’: Maris Racal breaks silence, takes blame for Anthony Jennings issue

Metro Manila, Philippines — Kapamilya actress Maris Racal has broken her silence over the controversy involving her and fellow actor Anthony Jennings, taking responsibility for her actions.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News on Friday, Racal admitted her mistakes and issued a public apology.

“Nagkamali ako and I want to say sorry for everything that I have done,” she said.

[Translation: I made mistakes, and I want to apologize for everything I’ve done.]

Racal said her connection with Jennings began in June during a difficult time in her life. She admitted feeling lonely and vulnerable, and Jennings provided the attention she needed, though she acknowledged it was wrong.

She said she was upfront with her then-boyfriend, singer-songwriter Rico Blanco, about the situation. Racal had announced their breakup during an emotional press conference, denying at the time that Jennings played a role in their separation.

However, Racal now admits otherwise.

“The reason why I became so emotional during the interview, because I was holding back the truth. Yan yung totoo,” she said. [That’s the truth.]

The actress explained how her frequent work engagements with Jennings gradually deepened their connection.

“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 tease me on the set in front of other people. He would tell all the people who were close to me that he was single,” Racal recounted.

[Translation: I fell for him. He was very sweet, acted like a gentleman, and openly showed interest in front of others. He even told my close friends he was single.]

Their relationship grew intense during the shoot of ABS-CBN's upcoming series “Incognito” in Italy in September. Racal said she even confronted Jennings about whether he had rekindled his relationship with ex-girlfriend Jamela Villanueva.

[Translation: God knows I asked him, nagkabalikan ba kayo? He said no," she said. (God knows I asked him, 'Did you get back together?' He said no.]

Racal disclosed that she urged Jennings to clarify his breakup with Villanueva publicly, but the actor only made the announcement last week.

“Kaya pala di siya makapag-release ng statement dahil sila pa pala this whole entire time. I didn’t know. I was in the dark,” she said.

[Translation: It turns out he couldn’t release a statement because they were still together this whole time. I didn’t know. I was in the dark.]

Racal also addressed the viral screenshots shared by Villanueva, acknowledging that they embarrassed her but noting that Villanueva has her own side of the story.

"Whenever I go out, whenever I walk, I feel like I'm a naked woman walking. I don’t know na ang gagawin ko. I'm so embarrassed. And I'm sorry that you get to see that," she said.

[Translation: Whenever I go out, I feel exposed, like I’m naked. I don’t know what to do. I’m so embarrassed. I’m sorry you had to see that.]