Candy Pangilinan urged Patrick Garcia to give himself a chance to build a relationship with his son Jazz, following the actor’s recent statements about his past relationship with Jennylyn Mercado.
Pangilinan shared her thoughts on the issue during the Oct. 4 episode of ‘Kalurks,’ where she emphasized the importance of resolving personal matters privately before discussing them publicly.
‘Bago siguro siya nagsalita sa maraming tao, pinuntahan muna niya si Jennylyn at inayos niya na ito nang tahimik at privately. Nag-usap sila, kinilala niya si Jazz,’ Pangilinan said.
‘At nagkaroon sila ng taimtim na pag-uusap at nakilala niya silang dalawa. Nagkaroon ng kapatawaran, ng unity, reconciliation,’ she added. ‘Pati with Dennis, di ba? At makilala rin ng mga kapatid ni Jazz ‘yung mga kapatid [niya].’
Pangilinan, a mother to a child who’s part of the autism spectrum, stressed that Jazz, whom she described as a neurodivergent child, should be given the opportunity to have a relationship with his father.
‘Kasi si Jazz is a child, a neurodivergent, and will always be a child. He will have all the chance to be a friend to this child. Given a chance, give himself a chance to be a friend to this child of his,’ she said.
Meanwhile, ‘Kalurks’ host Ashley Rivera said she believed Garcia had the right to tell his side of the story but questioned the way he presented it.
‘He said that he wanted to share his truth. And we are all free to do so naman. Ang sa akin lang, if you are going to share your truth, sana hindi ka na nagta-taint ng image o reputation ng ibang tao,’ she said.
Rivera pointed out that Mercado is the mother of Garcia’s child and said there was no need to include details that could affect her reputation.
‘Lalo na siya ‘yung mother ng anak niyo. Parang there’s no need for that. If you’re gonna tell your story, say it in a way na alam mo yung parang concise lang, hindi na kailangan ng mga unnecessary details na may name dropping pa, may mga kung ano-anong pagdagdag na about this and that,’ she continued.
Rivera added that Garcia’s intention to speak out after 18 years was to protect his daughter, Michelle, but forgot that Jazz is also his child too.
‘He reiterated na 18 years na he was doing, the intention was to protect his daughter, si Michelle. And he said naman na equally he loves his children,’ she expressed.
‘So my question is, if you’re trying to protect your daughter, how come you didn’t protect Jazz? Kasi anak mo silang lahat. Anak mo rin naman si Jazz. So parang I don’t get why,’ Rivera added.
The controversy stemmed from Garcia’s recent interview with Ogie Diaz, in which he denied that he abandoned Mercado in 2008 while she was pregnant with their son Jazz.
Garcia claimed that Mercado did not want him involved in the pregnancy. He also revealed that he has not seen Jazz since 2017 and has not provided financial support for him since then.