Alex de Rossi, Jeremy Marquez: Nobody slapped anybody

Last January 24 to 27, Alessandra "Alex" de Rossi and Jeremy Marquez participated in the yearly Nivea celebrity challenge at the Pearl Farm Beach Resort, Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte. What would have simply been "Refreshingly Fun Under the Sun"—as the event was called—for the ex-sweethearts took a bad turn. Well, at least it did in the showbiz grapevine. Word got back to Manila that Alex, supposedly upset with Jeremy, slapped him twice in the face on the second day. The two were reportedly seen arguing over something nobody quite understood, when Alex supposedly gave Jeremy the two-slap combo. Unfortunately, the scene was caught on tape, much to the chagrin of both Alex and Jeremy. Onlookers read the "slapping" incident as a lovers' quarrel. What really happened? Fact: Nobody slapped anybody—if by slapping is meant Alex hit Jeremy on the face in anger. Fact: Alex did hit Jeremy on the face twice—but only because she was demonstrating something quite innocent to him. Fact: Jeremy's camp itself will confirm that Alex did not slap Jeremy. Let's piece the events together. DAY ONE. Even at the airport in the Manila, it already looked like the former lovers weren't talking to each other. The two first got close at a Nivea event held in Bohol in 2006, and were now going to another Nivea event, this time in Davao. Their not talking at the airport might have been because they were simply not in the mood for small talk so early in the day. But as the day progressed, and Alex was seen making a big show of greeting everyone around except Jeremy, it became obvious that the two were indeed not talking. At Pearl Farm that first evening, the two were seen seated at one table along with other guests. When the playful Jomari Yllana livened up the scene by jumping, still dressed!, into the pool, others soon followed. Someone heard Jeremy calling out, "Alex, join ka dito." Alex may or may not have heard him, but she ended up not joining the revelry in the pool. Little did Jeremy know that the incident had vexed Alex. At least, according to someone close to the two, Alex had become annoyed with Jeremy because he had let her go off on her own while he was having fun in the pool. At one point during that first night in Davao, Alex rode a multi-cab along with others to get home. The cab was tight and the ride was rough. According to Jeremy's camp, Alex was in such a foul mood that she barely minded that half her body was hanging out of the multi-cab. The following day, Jeremy was himself disturbed to find out that the road the multi-cab had traversed the night before had no good embankment and that, moreover, the drop was steep and rocky. If by some unfortunate accident Alex had fallen off the multi-cab, that would have made for a really nasty accident. DAY TWO. The whole day, eyewitnesses say, the two were again not speaking. But toward nightfall, Alex was seen becoming friendly with Jeremy. Friendly enough to want to dance with him, Jeremy's camp says. For some reason, however, this time it was Jeremy who didn't seem to be too friendly. He didn't want to dance. Sources close to Jeremy hazard a guess as to why. They feel that Jeremy might have become confused by Alex's behavior. They say that for over a year now, Jeremy had been pursuing Alex relentlessly. He had gone through "humiliation and rejection" again and again in trying to woo her back. He knew he had done her wrong then, after all. But throughout that one year, she studiously ignored him. She did not give him the time of day and made a big show of it. In any case, this time, with Jeremy not wanting to dance, Alex left in a huff. Throughout the night, meantime, Jeremy partied, drank, and made merry with the girls. Some say he actually made merry with one particular girl, who was not Alex. In any case, he would later tell friends he didn't know how he got to bed that night. DAY THREE. It turned out, he never did. Jeremy woke up at eight in the morning to discover that he was lying right on the beach! His friends say that no matter how he tried, he truly could no longer account for the hours leading to his finding himself on the beach. According to eyewitnesses, Alex happened to be there. She had been nursing Jeremy through his inebriation. She had spent hours making him comfortable and safe on the beach. She seemed to understand that he had passed out from too much drinking, and had set aside whatever hostility she may, or may not, have felt. When he finally woke up, she was supposed to have asked him if he remembered anything. He was supposed to have said he was totally blank. Alex was then supposed to have explained to him that she tried to get him to a proper resting place because he seemed unable to do so on his own. But not having enough strength for the two of them, she was only able to get him to the beachfront. According to a few guests who later pieced the story, at one point, while still on the beach, Alex tried to shake Jeremy awake, possibly to revive him. That was when she ended up being slapped. Jeremy, still half-asleep and in a stupor, had involuntarily flailed his hand back and forth, and Alex's face was right there. She got it in the face. When Jeremy was awake enough to listen to Alex tell him the story, he was shocked. Jeremy's friends confirm that the story shocked Jeremy. The fellow may be many things, but he has no history of hitting women. They mention that in the almost one year that Alex and Jeremy were sweethearts, when they had innumerable quarrels, some of them noisy, some of them very public, not once did Jeremy lay a hand on Alex. Alex knew this. She knew that Jeremy would not have knowingly slapped her. But because Jeremy didn't know what she was talking about now, she proceeded to demonstrate how the "slapping" happened. It was a conversation they were having. The only trouble is, right when she was demonstrating the "slapping," a camera was pointing at them, and picked up the "slapping." And so was born the story of Alex slapping Jeremy. Alessandra de Rossi, half-Italian, half-Filipina, is a passionate woman who takes her relationships seriously. That is why she is famous for her in-your-face honesty and volatility. She speaks her mind. She spills her guts. She has, in fact, had a couple of tiffs with other stars. Because of this, it might be easy to sell the idea that Alex could slap Jeremy. But, in fact, she did not. The best proof is that when PEP checked this issue out, Jeremy's own circle said very definitely: "Not true. Wrong. Walang sampalang naganap." Lesson of the story: Not everything is what it seems. Give Jeremy a break. More fairly, give Alex one. - Philippine Entertainment Portal