Patrick Garcia denies leaving Jennylyn Mercado during pregnancy

Patrick Garcia has broken his 18-year silence on his breakup with Jennylyn Mercado.

In a YouTube vlog interview with Ogie Diaz, the former actor said he decided to tell his side of the story because his daughter, Michelle Garcia, has been getting hate comments on social media because of him.

“This is the story I’ve been holding for 18 years,” he said. “I never told it because I thought people would eventually forget about it and move on.”

Patrick and Jennylyn were previously in a relationship and welcomed their son, Alex Jazz, in 2008. But Patrick clarified that it was not his intention to leave the actress.

“To the bashers who hate me so much, they say that I left Jen. No, that’s not true. I did not leave Jen,” Patrick said in Filipino.

He acknowledged, however, that he was not present during Jennylyn’s pregnancy.

“And to those bashers who say I was never there for Jen during her pregnancy, that’s true,” he said.

“I was never there for Jen during her pregnancy, not because I didn’t want to be there, but because she didn’t want me to be there,” he added.

Patrick said he continued trying to maintain contact with Jazz over the years, but the last time he saw his son was in December 2017.

“It has been a challenge because he lives in another household,” Patrick said.

Patrick also claimed that he had been sending messages to Jennylyn through Viber since 2018 but received no response.

He said they were able to speak by phone in 2021 after Jennylyn contacted his wife, although communication stopped again after his wife asked if they could visit Jazz.

Patrick further recalled that Jennylyn had contacted him around that time to inform him that Dennis Trillo was legally adopting Jazz.

“She was informing me about it. I had no say in the matter, and I agreed to it,” he said.

Patrick said the continuing criticism surrounding his past with Jennylyn eventually affected his family, particularly Michelle, who has been active on social media due to her dancing career.

“But to this day, Jen’s words continue to haunt me, as well as my family and my daughter,” he said.

“People are hating on us too much, and I think it’s unfair,” he added. “That’s why I’m telling my story.” —Hermes Joy Tunac/JCB, GMA News