For a while now, the status of Janella Salvador and Elmo Magalona’s relationship has been murky to say the least. Last month, rumors began to swirl that Elmo hurt the actress. Now, Janella finally addressed the issue. But speaking to Inquirer.net, she wants to make this clear: “She is not speaking up ‘out of revenge’ or some morbid desire to ‘trash’ erstwhile screen partner Elmo Magalona, whom she described as ‘a nice guy.’”
Janella claimed she and Elmo had a meeting with managers at Star Magic to try and fix the problem, during which, Elmo had volunteered to address and acknowledge the issue. When nothing happened after this, Janella said the silence was hard on her because she felt that the story was being intentionally swept under the rug.“I don’t like [the perception] that there was a cover-up,” she said. “He was being stopped from owning up to his mistake.”
So what really happened? According to Janella, she and Elmo had a fight after a party. She admitted that they both had something to drink but that she “wasn’t drunk nor wasted that time.” She revealed that that night was the “second time” he had been aggressive with her. The first time, she said she forgave him because she cared for him and she did “everything” to protect him. “But then, it happened again,” she recalled. This time, she admitted she tried to fight back and even slapped him “because I felt disrespected.”
The worst part, the actress shared, was being blamed for it on social media. “There were so many voices trying to get into my head. I learned to just shut them off.” While she claimed she “doesn’t usually let bashers” get to her, when one netizen implied that she had it coming, she felt she had to answer back. “I just hope they wouldn’t experience what I had gone through and be blamed for it, too.” She added that abuse can happen to anyone, “Even the most intelligent and respected women can be battered. No one is spared. And it’s never the fault of the abused; it’s the abuser who should be blamed.”
She revealed she’s now trying to cope with it and is currently seeking professional counseling. “I had seen other doctors in the past for other reasons.” Getting help is nothing to be ashamed of, she said. “Girls and boys need to know that it’s normal to have problems, to have mental health issues—especially with exposure to social media, with bashing and bullying. Victim-blaming is very rampant.” She added, “It will help you understand yourself more and see life in a [positive] light.” She assured that her doctor told her she’s “a lot better compared to a few weeks ago.”
She said she found a deeper meaning through all this. “My real purpose for talking about it is so that other young people would learn from my experience.” She also admitted that it allowed it her to rebuild ties with her estranged parents. She claimed she appreciated her mom reaching out to her after what happened, and it made her realize that despite their difficult past, she would always be there for her.
As for her relationship with Elmo, she’s not ready for a reconciliation just yet. “We built something beautiful—our friendship, our relationship—but some beautiful things need to come to an end,” she said, adding that she doesn’t think she could work with the actor again after what happened. “I want to focus on me first,” she said. “I learned a lot about myself. I learned what I can and cannot tolerate.”
Elmo’s camp has yet to release a statement. In the meantime, we’re grateful to Janella for speaking up about this difficult issue and encouraging others to open up as well. Ladies, take it from this brave actress, you don’t have to tolerate any toxic and especially physically abusive behavior from your partners. Enabling that isn’t love. Good for Janella for realizing this, and we hope she recovers from this soon.
Photo courtesy of Janella Salvador’s Instagram account
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