MANILA, Philippines — Actress Jennylyn Mercado was absent from this year's GMA Gala as she had to look after her son Jazz, her agency said.
Fans were surprised to learn Jennylyn was not among the many Kapuso artists and guests that walked the red carpet over the weekend in Manila Marriott Hotel, yet her husband Dennis Trillo was present.
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The absence stoked once more rumors that Jennylyn might be moving to a rival network despite her talent management agency shutting such talks down.
One of the actress' talent managers, Jan Enriquez under Becky Aguila, confirmed to Philstar.com that Jennylyn didn't attend the GMA Gala to take care of Jazz, her teenage son with ex-boyfriend Patrick Garcia.
"She was supposed to go naman but decided to stay home na lang because she needs to take care of Jazz," Enriquez said in a Facebook direct message. "Jen naman has always put her children first kaya si Dennis muna representative nila that night."
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Jan expressed his apologies and asked for understanding from those who were waiting for Jennylyn to arrive, adding: "Di bale, babawi tayo next year!"
The actress recently revealed she's currently a freelancer as she's yet to sign a new contract with GMA, but pointed out she wanted to remain with the network.
"20 years na po akong Kapuso and I am very thankful na hanggang ngayon po ay ako po ay Kapuso pa rin, mayroon pa rin mga nini-nego (negotiate), pero mabilis na lang po iyan, so we're just waiting for the contract pero happy pa rin naman ako maging Kapuso, basta gusto pa rin nila ako 'di ba?" she said then.
Jennylyn and Dennis tied the knot in 2021 and welcomed a daughter the following year. Dennis also has a son Calix with his ex-girlfriend Carlene Aguilar.
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