Pacquiao victory eclipsed by Krista Ranillo 'affair'

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao may have defeated Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto last Saturday, but his stunning victory was quickly eclipsed by rumors of his alleged love affair with young starlet Krista Ranillo.

Only days after the historic win, the pair has been under increasing scrutiny in news headlines, showbiz columns, and especially in cyberspace. The rumors were heightened when video footage showed the pound-for-pound king’s wife, Jinkee Pacquiao, shedding tears while the couple was attending a Thanksgiving Mass last Sunday. In the clip, Jinkee is seen breaking into sobs after healing priest Fr. Joey Faller said in his homily, “We can only hurt those people whom we love so much, our husband, our wife … give us the peace we need at this point." She turned away from her husband when he attempted to console her, and instead sought comfort from a friend standing next to her. Did Jinkee cry because of the boxing champ’s supposed philandering ways? Pacquiao does not think so. “Naiyak lang, pero okay naman," Pacquiao told GMA News reporter Mariz Umali. Pacquiao had kept mum on the issue, saying only “no comment" to those who have been asking him about the real score between him and Krista, his co-star in their upcoming film “Wapakman." But on Wednesday, Krista finally broke her silence. “Yeah, heard about it (rumors) already … we’re still discussing when and how to speak," Krista wrote during an Internet chat with GMA News entertainment reporter Nelson Canlas. In his report, Canlas quoted Krista as saying that she is not pregnant. Meanwhile, her manager Arnold Vegafria said their camp would confront the matter when they return to the Philippines. “I’m now in Paris and Krista is now in the United States. But we spoke kanina and we’ll talk about how we’re going to handle all these allegations sa kanya. So when I get back, we’ll hold a presscon para to answer all the allegations sa kanya na mga negative," Vegafria said. Who’s that girl? The 23-year-old Krista is the eldest daughter of actor Mat Ranillo III, who is known for his role as Jesus Christ in Lenten-themed films and plays in the 90’s. She graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. Last year, she had a daring role in the indie film “Paupahan" that was reported to have earned the ire of her father. Krista is reported to have gone topless in the film, where she plays a struggling starlet who sleeps around just to get a break in the movie industry. Krista has also been on the cover of two sexy men’s magazines: FHM in its August 2008 issue and Maxim in the March 2009 issue. The rumors between Krista and Manny began in September, when showbiz columnist Ricky Lo alleged that a known “ladies’ man" was seen on a flight to Hong Kong with a certain “Actress K." He later revealed that the two were Pacquiao and Krista, who claimed that the meeting was only a chance encounter. “Yes it was … I have nothing to hide, I’m not guilty of anything," Krista was quoted as saying.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV While Pacquiao was busy training in Baguio City for his fight with Cotto, talent manager Lolit Solis alleged that Krista was seen with the boxer in the mountain resort in northern Philippines. According to PEP.ph, the two were also seen distributing relief goods together in Angono, Rizal for victims of tropical storm “Ondoy." The two have been tight-lipped on the issue, but rumors of their “affair" intensified when director veteran actress Gina Alajar recently posted on her Facebook account: “If I am Jinkee Pacquiao, I will not give up Manny. Krista Ranillo is not at all worth it." Alajar did not elaborate. Alajar and husband Michael de Mesa separated in 2001, allegedly because of the latter’s affair with Krista. When Alajar posted the controversial Facebook status message, Pacquiao was already in the United States for his welterweight bout with Cotto. Last Sunday, The Buzz host Ruffa Gutierrez said her parents saw Krista in Las Vegas, Nevada. PEP.ph also quoted sources as saying that Krista and her family checked in at the Luxor Hotel, where Pacquiao’s entourage was billed. In the thick of the controversy, celebritynation.tv posted a video of Pacquiao leaving after his television guesting at "Jimmy Kimmel Live." The boxer was seen driving his Mercedes Benz at the parking lot amid a throng of fans and paparazzi. Caught on the camera was an unknown woman who was seen covering her face. Celebritynation.tv further said: “Manny boy shunned his many fans that night but we posted the very short video on our YouTube page anyway. Now we are being bombarded with emails asking, WHO IS THAT WOMAN TRYING TO HIDE HER FACE????" The site continued: “Evidently, it’s not Manny’s wife." Celebritynation.tv added it uploaded the video on November 3. Jinkee reportedly arrived in the US on November 9. Team Jinkee vs. Team Krista The controversy has stirred waves of reactions ranging from sympathy to anger. On November 17, Philippine Star lifestyle columnist and prolific blogger Cecile Van Straten (chuvaness.com) posted an entry about the Krista-Pacquiao alleged affair. A day later, she said her site got 41,000 hits. In another entry where she posted the celebritynation.tv video, Van Straten wrote: “I feel for this woman (Jinkee). She loved him first, she loved him poor. Now he's a gazillionaire and everyone's out to get a piece or chunk of it. Are you just going to watch and give him up to any gold digger?" Her readers agreed. “I hope Krista stops already. Someday, she might find herself married and I am sure she wouldn't want to be in Jinkee's place," wrote a certain pinkcosmocat. “I feel bad for Jinkee. No loyal and loving partner should go through this," said theimaginist. “Manny, overnight you've transformed to people's champion to object of ridicule," said roxy831. But talent manager Chit Ramos sprang to Krista’s defense, explaining that the Ranillo family was in the US for a cleft palate surgery on Krista’s younger sister. “Si Trixie ang dahilan kung bakit nasa States sina Matt at asawa niyang si Lynda. Kataka-taka ba kung sumunod si Krista para suportahan ang bunsong kapatid? Ipaghalimbawa pang si Manny ang nag-sponsor ng trip ni Krista, siya lang ba ang ini-sponsor ni Manny?" Ramos asked in her Pinoy Paparazzi column. But Ramos herself was not spared from angry comments. “If you can just please educate yourself before coming up with all these justifications," wrote a certain 2cent. – GMANews.TV