Katrina Aguila recalls Jennylyn Mercado’s struggles as single mom amid Patrick Garcia tell-all

MANILA, Philippines — Talent manager Katrina Aguila recalled witnessing Jennylyn Mercado’s struggles as a young single mother, including finding singing gigs in the United States, shortly after Patrick Garcia broke his 18-year silence about their past relationship.

Patrick recently opened up about his relationship with Jennylyn and their son, Alex Jazz, in an interview with Ogie Diaz, where he denied abandoning the actress during her pregnancy.

Patrick said he was not present during Jennylyn’s pregnancy because, according to him, she did not want him there. He also said he decided to tell his side of the story after his daughter, Michelle Garcia, received online backlash.

Jennylyn’s camp has said that the actress will not comment on Patrick’s revelations, citing her desire to protect the privacy and peace of mind of both families. Her agency also appealed to the public to stop bashing Patrick’s family, particularly Michelle.

Amid the renewed discussion surrounding Jennylyn’s past, Katrina, who is now the actress’ manager, shared her own recollections of Jennylyn’s life after giving birth to Jazz in 2008. Katrina is the daughter of Becky Aguila, who previously helmed their family-owned Aguila Entertainment that handles Jennylyn's career. 

“A lot of you don’t know this, but a month after giving birth, Jennylyn immediately went back to work,” Katrina said in a social media post.

Katrina said Jennylyn was determined to provide for Jazz and her family, even traveling to the United States to look for singing jobs in restaurants.

“She was desperate to earn money for Jazz and her family that she even flew to the States to find work as a singer to different restaurants,” she said.

Katrina was still a teenager at the time, but said she remembered how hard Jennylyn worked to build a stable future for her son.

“I was a teenager then, but I remember how hard she worked to provide a stable future for Jazz. She was a single mother, you can see that she was having a hard time, but she persevered. She is that strong of a person,” Katrina said.

Her recollection comes as Patrick’s recent interview revisited the circumstances surrounding his and Jennylyn’s breakup, which happened while the actress was pregnant with Jazz.

Patrick said he and Jennylyn were together when they learned about the pregnancy and that they had intended to get married. He maintained, however, that he did not leave Jennylyn and said he was not present during her pregnancy because she did not want him to be there.

Jennylyn previously gave a different account in a 2010 interview with PEP, saying she did not receive emotional and financial support from Patrick during her pregnancy.

Katrina, meanwhile, focused on what she personally witnessed during Jennylyn’s early years as a mother.

“Since she was a little girl, she already experienced so many hardships, but despite all that, she was able to survive and be a better person,” she said.

“She deserves all the love in the world. We love you Jen,” she added.

Beyond Jennylyn’s experience as a young mother, Katrina also reflected on the actress’ role in her own life.

“'Ate' ang tawag ko sa kanya noon. At present, hindi na kasi ang weird na manager ako ngayon tapos may 'ate' pa rin,” Katrina said.

Katrina said Jennylyn guided and protected her during her teenage years and taught her important lessons about love, resilience and valuing the people who matter.

“She guided me throughout my teenage years and became my protector. She showed me that love shouldn’t be taken for granted, that it is supposed to be shared to those people who matter,” she said.

“To be strong despite all the problems that lay ahead. The learnings I got from her, was able to help shape the person I am today,” Katrina added.

“That is why she is and will always be my ate. Love you, Ate Jen,” she concluded.

Katrina’s statement follows a separate response from her mother, veteran talent manager Becky Aguila, who criticized Patrick’s decision to speak publicly about his past with Jennylyn.

Becky said there were “a lot of things” Patrick allegedly did that hurt Jennylyn and claimed that the actress had chosen not to disclose them out of respect for him and his family.

For her part, Jennylyn has chosen not to publicly respond to the claims and has instead asked the public to refrain from attacking Patrick’s family.

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