Spice Girl Strength
Just like everyone else (except for bitter hags and caustic creeps, those “misery loves company” types, who believe that no one on earth should be happy), I am sucker for underdog stories. I love the rags-to-riches Cinderella-ish stories, or those “I was once abused and now I’m wealthy and glamorous and you’re eating your heart out” stories. Yeah, they make me smile. Like how Oprah Winfrey was born in abject poverty and ended up becoming an extremely successful media mogul, or like J.K. Rowling, who went from being a jobless, separated single mother to multi-millionaire author of arguably one of the most famous book series to date.
The people who have the strength to do something with their lives are the best kind of role models there is.
Okay, truth: There was a time when I thought of Jennylyn Mercado as a replaceable face in the show business industry, never once thinking that inside her is this fierce Spice Girl Strength (Spice Girl Strength: phrase adopted from one of Shia LeBeouf’s interview for Transformers 3, implies the female possesses impressive mental and emotional strength and independence) until I heard news of her past as an abused child. These days, I see her as a prime role model for children who have been battered and beaten and just plain mistreated, for single mothers everywhere, for people who have suffered domestic abuse.
As a child, Jennylyn Mercado (b. 15 May, 1987, Paranaque, Metro Manila) suffered abuse at the hands of her stepfather. Her biological mother was far away in Dubai, where she earned money as a beauty consultant in a Duty Free store. In 1991, the would-be actress appeared in various newspapers across the country as a battered child. Her stepfather had beaten her black and blue, kicked her, and even pushed her down the stairs. If that wasn’t horrifying enough, the man burned Jennylyn’s skin with cigarette butts and even pressed an iron against her back. Her “mother” came home to bail her lover out of jail, instead of doing what a mother should have done like, oh I don’t know, taking care of her daughter?
Jennylyn’s aunt Lydia Mercado adopted the kid and provided her with a loving home. Jennylyn had stated on numerous occasions that she considers Lydia her true mother and had recounted her story as a victim of child abuse in a candid interview with a celebrity mag. Jennylyn’s biological mother, Jinkee, appeared in ABS-CBN talk show The Buzz to reveal her side of the story.
Jinkee denied Jennylyn’s claims. Apparently, there was never an abuse –– there was no abusive stepfather (she says she’s been married only once, to a British man for 17 years now) and she didn’t abandon her child (she sent her kid money –– as if that can compensate for the neglect and hurt Jennylyn had endured for her entire life). I can’t imagine how hurtful it must be to have your mother insinuate that you’re a liar on live national television. Thankfully, Jennylyn had her mommy Lydia and her manager Becky Aguila on her side.
“When I deal with my artist, I not only interact with them as a manager but also as a mother, and I felt Jen’s pain, sorrow and disappointment upon learning about her biological mom’s interview in the Buzz. … She doesn’t deserve a daughter like Jennylyn.” –– Becky Aguila
Apart from suffering from child abuse, Jennylyn has also been a victim of domestic abuse. She tells “YES!” magazine about the night she was physically and verbally abused by then-boyfriend Dennis Trillo. The actress and Trillo were embroiled in a heated argument (reportedly about Jennylyn’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her son, actor Patrick Garcia), causing Jennylyn to slap Trillo and Trillo to retaliate by wrapping her in a headlock and throwing her downstairs. After this incident, Jennylyn took up jujitsu (a Japanese martial art) classes –– where she met actor Luis Manzano, who announced on Entertainment Live that he and the actress were dating –– for self-defense.
After finding out these perturbing incidents in her life and seeing how classily she dealt with all of it made me reevaluate Jennylyn Mercado, who I now admire and respect. In spite of her history as a battered child, in spite of all the negative things said about her as a single mother, in spite of her recent brush with domestic violence, Jennylyn showed the public that she remains a strong, smart single mother-slash-actress and singer.
References:
· Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2011). Jennylyn Mercado – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennylyn_Mercado. Last accessed June 7 2011.
· Rachel Salinel, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau; with report from The Buzz. (2011). Jennylyn’s mom rebukes daughter’s claims | ABS-CBN News | The Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features. Available: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/06/06/11/jennylyns-mom-rebukes-daughters-claims. Last accessed June 7 2011.
· abs-cbnNEWS.com. (2011). Jennylyn accuses Trillo of abuse: report. Available: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/05/30/11/jennylyn-accuses-trillo-abuse-report. Last accessed June 7 2011.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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