Chie Filomeno and Jake Cuenca. Images: Instagram/@chiefilomeno and @juancarloscuenca
Chie Filomeno insisted that she’s currently “single but happy,” despite speculations that she’s dating Jake Cuenca, who’s been vocal about his “admiration” for the actress.
Filomeno spoke about her relationship status at a cover interview with local lifestyle magazine Cosmopolitan Philippines, where she stressed that she “doesn’t need to be in a relationship to be happy.”
“I’m enjoying my me time. You don’t need to be in a relationship to be happy. A relationship for me is an investment. ‘Yung gusto ko sa tao na paglalaanan ko, ‘yun na ‘yun. Kasi we’re not getting any younger (I want to be involved with someone who’s willing to be invested in me because we’re not getting any younger), so invest wisely,” she was quoted as saying.
Without disclosing any names, the actress opened up about her realizations from past relationships, where she learned to leave some room for herself, as it wouldn’t shatter her expectations about love. “‘Wag kang maubos. Ok lang na pagdaanan mo, but ‘wag mo ulit-ulitin.”
“Kasi ‘pag naubos ka, hindi ka na maniniwala sa love eh. ‘Di ka maniniwala na may magmamahal sayo, which is meron naman talaga. Siguro there is a reason na napagdaanan mo ‘yun para sa next relationship, para alam mo kung ano gagawin, ano hindi gagawin. In God’s perfect time, you’ll find yung aalagaan mo at aalagaan ka,” she added.
(Don’t empty yourself. It’s okay to go through that stage, as long as you won’t repeat it. Because if you get empty, you won’t believe in love anymore. You wouldn’t believe that someone loves you, even if someone does. Maybe there’s a reason why you go through tough times, because you would know what you should and should not do in your next relationship. In God’s perfect time, you’ll eventually find someone who will take care of you and vice versa.)
The “A Very Good Girl” star then stressed that she’s enjoying “singlehood” as a way of gaining self-confidence and re-aligning her focus on what matters.
“With singlehood, just enjoy it. Doon mo rin mahahanap yung confidence mo, ‘pag naging single ka,” she said. “You have to know what you really want in life. And trial and error din ‘yan eh. ‘Di mo naman makukuha ‘yan agad, hindi naman tayo lahat born confident eh. You should [learn how to] love yourself… Dirediretcho na ‘yun, domino effect.”
(With singlehood, just enjoy it. Being single is where you gain confidence. You have to know what you really want in life. It’s trial and error, you wouldn’t achieve it immediately. Not everyone is born confident. You should learn how to love yourself which will soon follow, like a domino effect.)
Filomeno’s revelation comes a month after Cuenca said he’s dating the actress, where he admitted that he doesn’t want to “pull the trigger too early” at a media gathering for “The Iron Heart.”
The “Pinoy Big Brother” alum was previously linked to singer-actor Kyle Echarri, with whose she supposedly had “developing closeness.” EDV