Janella Salvador on Elmo Magalona: ‘He hurt me… I can never tolerate that’

MANILA, Philippines – Young actress Janella Salvador broke her silence over the reported issues between her and one-time on-screen partner Elmo Magalona, telling entertainment journalist Ricky Lo that he had hurt her physically in the past.

Janella, in an interview with Philippine Star columnist Ricky Lo, said the “incident” – referring to the alleged instance when Elmo hurt her physically – happened when the two argued during a party hosted by Janella’s friend.

The young actress said she slapped Elmo because she felt “disrespected.”

“It was not the first time that he hurt me…. The first time happened months earlier. He claimed that he didn’t remember what he did, maybe because he had a drink, and he asked for forgiveness and I gave him a chance. I told him, ‘Next time, don’t bring yourself to the point that you will hurt someone.’ He promised naman that he wouldn’t do it again,” she said in the interview, which came out on Wednesday, October 24.

Janella told Ricky Lo she decided to speak up to “stop the lies.”

Back in September, Janella tweeted without providing context: “I think everyone deserves someone who does not hurt them regardless if they’re drunk or not. Men who are raised properly are never supposed to hurt women no matter what.”

The actress said she had already stopped visiting a psychiatrist but went back two weeks after the “incident.” She said Elmo has also been seeking professional help. “I support him on that. It’s good that he recognized the problem and he’s addressing it.”

Janella told Ricky Lo her intention wasn’t to “shame” or “put down” Elmo but to “correct the lies being spread against me and my mom, and to let the truth out.” She said she had waited for Elmo to do this himself but said “somebody is stopping him from doing it.”

“I focused on Elmo and myself. This time, I am giving more attention to myself. He hurt me and I cannot, can never tolerate that,” she said, referring to the years they were an on-screen couple who also “exclusively [dated]” in real life.

She also said she was fixing her relationship with her mom. “We are talking. I may not agree with the extreme way she expresses her feelings but I realized that her intentions are good,” she said.

Her mother had accused Elmo’s mother, Pia Magalona, for supposedly concealing the truth to “clean up [Elmo’s] image.”

Neither Elmo nor Pia have directly reacted to Janella’s interview, at least on social media. Ricky Lo said he tried to reach out to Pia (whom he referred to as Pia Arroyo) but she did not reply. – Rappler.com