(From left) Jak Roberto, Barbie Forteza, David Licauco. Images: Twitter/@gmanetwork, Instagram/@sparklegmaartistcenter, Instagram/@niceprintphoto
Jak Roberto, Barbie Forteza, and David Licauco chose to walk separately on the red carpet of the GMA Gala 2023, days after the Kapuso actress poked fun at a fan discussions on who will be her date at the event.
Forteza, who’s in a six-year relationship with Roberto, showed up by herself in a cyan-blue gown by Ehrran Montoya. Meanwhile, her boyfriend, who spruced up with a charcoal gray suit also by Montoya, turned heads as well on the red carpet.
Not to be outdone, Licauco looked dapper in a soft black suit by Tom Ford.
In a brief interview with reporters, Forteza expressed excitement over her upcoming TV series with Licauco, who is her loveteam partner following their popular pairing on the widely successful histoserye “Maria Clara at Ibarra.”
“Sa ‘Maging Sino Ka Man,’ kahit nakaka-dalawang araw pa lang kami ng taping, medyo iba po talaga siya sa previous project na ginawa namin ni David na ‘Maria Clara at Ibarra.’ ito medyo mate-test ang aming action skills,” she said. (In “Maging Sino Ka Man,” even if we’ve been only taping for two days, it’s different from our previous project in “Maria Clara and Ibarra” because is where we’ll put our action skills to the test.)
Despite this, the Kapuso stars’s solo outing on the red carpet caught the attention of netizens, particularly on Facebook and Twitter, with some lamenting how the showbiz industry’s love team culture have seemingly affected Roberto and Forteza’s relationship.
“Nanuod ako ng gala ng GMA and honestly naaawa ako kay Jak Roberto. Yung situation ngayon nila Barbie, Jak and David yung best example dun sa sinabi ni Liza Soberano na toxic love team culture sa Philippines. TBH, yung ginagawang fan service nila Barbie and David madalas wala na sa lugar,” one @F***_BELIFT said.
(I’m watching GMA’s gala and I honestly feel bad for Jak Roberto. The situation of Barbie, Jak, and David is the best example of what Liza Soberano said about toxic loveteam culture in the Philippines. To be honest, the fanservice of Barbie and David are always out of line.)
Nanuod ako ng gala ng gma and honestly naaawa ako kay Jak Roberto.Ung situation ngayon nila Barbie,Jak and David ung best example dun sa sinabi ni Liza Soberano na toxic loveteam culture sa Philippines. Tbh ung ginagawang fanservice nila Barbie and David madalas wala na sa lugar
— Nina (@FUCK_BELIFT) July 22, 2023
The same observation was shared by one @darkspellonme who recalled the former Kapamilya actress’ assessment about love teams propelling the local entertainment industry.
Liza Soberano has always been right. Napakatoxic ng love team culture sa Philippine showbiz and Barbie Forteza x David Licauco is the living proof. I felt so bad for Jak Roberto
— Alani (@darkspellonme) July 22, 2023
Twitter user @_faithnstrength speculated that Forteza’s Instagram post was hinting towards wanting to be taken “as an actress and as an individual seriously.”
Her IG caption alone screams “take me as an actress and as an individual seriously.”
The decision to walk the red carpet alone has her consent too. No partner, reel or real, should box her.
What a slay. 💅#BarbieForteza pic.twitter.com/PQVnLnJJHj
— Gracie ᶠᶦᴸᵃʸ ˡᵘʳᵏᵉʳ (@_faithnstrength) July 23, 2023
The netizen was referring to Forteza’s Instagram post highlighting a quote by multi-awarded American actress and producer Viola Davis, one of the few artists who made the distinction of being recognized by four major entertainment award-giving bodies — Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and Tony Awards.
“’I didn’t aspire to be just a celebrity; I aspired to be an actress… I always wanted to be respected as someone who knew their craft,'” she captioned her post.
One @charlesanity37 said netizens shouldn’t poke fun at Roberto being allegedly jealous of his girlfriend’s onscreen pairing with Licauco, as they seem to be “okay” behind the scenes.
Huwag niyo na kaseng asarin si Jak Roberto na nagseselos siya kay David Licauco. Okay naman ang JakBie siguro privately sila nagkakaintindihan maayos naman sila. Mas expose nga lang sa TV ang BarDa. Nilike nga ni Barbie yung post ng GMA kay Jak ih. https://t.co/zjUtq1Ad0B pic.twitter.com/5W4bIZW4Hz
— Charlesanity (@charlesanity37) July 23, 2023
Twitter user @KuyaJah21 said they feel “hurt” for Roberto’s sake as the gala should’ve been a “special night” for the real-life sweethearts.
This is too much. Ako nasasaktan sa part ni @jak_roberto 😟 This should be a special night for couple. Unless wala na talaga sila. @dealwithBARBIE @davidlicauco #GmaGalaNight2023 pic.twitter.com/hrdTaxeIfL
— Kuya Jah (@KuyaJah21) July 22, 2023
K-drama fan account Saranghaeyo Oppa pointed out that the Kapuso hunk was seemingly like a “second lead” at the event, saying that the couple didn’t even have a photo taken together.
Image: Screengrab from Facebook/Saranghaeyo Oppa
Forteza and Roberto started dating in 2017 after working together in the GMA series “Meant to Be.” Last March, the actress revealed during an interview that the actor courted her parents “first” before asking her out for a date.
Meanwhile, Licauco said at a lie detector vlog that while Roberto is aware of their onscreen partnership, he stressed that he respects their relationship. EDV