Barbie Forteza and Jak Roberto. Images: Nice Print Photography, Instagram/@jakroberto
The seven-year relationship between Barbie Forteza and Jak Roberto reached its final chapter, with the actress expressing her gratitude to Roberto for being such an “exceptional” partner.
Throughout their relationship, the ex-partners opted to share peeks into their romance on social media and the actor’s vlogs such as food dates, couple getaways, and sweet messages. The couple kept their romance lowkey since then, as they preferred to share the fun experiences they had together.
As the ex-couple — dubbed as JakBie or BarJak — ended their seven-year romance with a positive outlook moving forward, let us look back at the actors’ relationship.
How JakBie’s love story began
Forteza and Roberto first met on the set of the 2016 indie film “Laut,” which tells the story of a sea gypsy in Pampanga who hopes to meet the love of her life. According to the actress, Roberto was already interested in her but she didn’t reciprocate his feelings at the time.
“Meron kaming ginawang pelikula na ‘Laut’ sa Mabalacat, Pampanga, tapos may inaabot siya sa’king chocolate. [Nagtataka ako] kasi nasa Pampanga tayo pero [meron] siyang chocolate,” the actress recalled in a “Tonight with Arnold Clavio” interview in 2019. This led Roberto to admit that he indeed bought her chocolate at a store in Pampanga.
(We did a film called “Laut” in Mabalacat, Pampanga. Then, he gave me chocolate. I was wondering how he got it because we were in Pampanga. Yet he was able to get chocolate.)
According to Roberto, he was attracted to the actress because of her kindness and friendly personality while sharing that she was one of the first Kapuso stars that he met.
They worked together in the 2017 series “Meant to Be,” which stars Forteza as the lead character Billie Bendiola. Aside from Roberto, she also had to wrestle with the love interests from Ken Chan, Addy Raj and Ivan Dorschner’s characters.
The actor recalled that he made an effort to win the trust of Forteza’s parents first, before focusing on winning the heart of the actress completely.
The couple also took their real-life romance to the screen in the 2019 K-drama “Kara Mia,” which also starred Mika dela Cruz and Paul Salas.
Seven years
One of the final appearances of Forteza and Roberto as a couple was their seventh-anniversary celebration, which was uploaded on the actor’s YouTube channel in May 2024. Taking time off their busy schedules, the couple went out of town where they reflected on their relationship.
“Na-realize ko [about relationships] that it takes a lot of work to keep the love alive. It’s hindi man laging kilig, minsan magkakaroon tayo ng desisyon na kailangang gawin or may moments na [wala na ‘yung kilig] unlike before,” she said. “It takes a lot of work pero worth it ‘yun. D’un mo napo-prove ang love mo sa tao.
(What I realized about relationships is that it takes a lot of work to keep the love alive. It’s not always kilig. We sometimes get into encounters where we have to make tough decisions or moments when the kilig is not as much as before. It takes a lot of work. But it’s worth it. That’s where you prove your love for someone.)
Meanwhile, Roberto admitted that he and Forteza were “getting stronger” despite being busy with their respective pursuits, sharing that they did their best to have time for each other.
Exchange gifts and food dates
Apart from their onscreen pairing, Forteza and Roberto always made it a point to spend time doing their favorite activities as a couple. One of these was eating out in ramen, hotpot, and steak restaurants.
One of their dates that caught the attention of netizens was the “Pick One Challenge,” a couple’s trend where the girlfriend would blindly select how a date would go. The dates included lunch at a hotpot restaurant, shopping at a Japanese clothing chain, and having coffee.
At some point, the ex-couple’s tradition of “exchanging gifts” during Christmas was a trending topic every year since it was always reported in the media. But while it was amusing for some, it gave a peek at how Forteza and Roberto made efforts to enjoy each other’s company.
BarDa vs Jak Roberto’s anti-silos university
Forteza and Roberto’s relationship made headlines after the onscreen partnership of the actress with fellow Kapuso actor David Licauco made waves after they worked together in “Maria Clara at Ibarra.”
While the chemistry between the loveteam partners was undeniable, Forteza maintained that what she had with Licauco was purely work and that she remained committed to Roberto.
“This isn’t the first love team that I’ve become a part of. I feel like, over the years, I’ve gotten used to working with a partner. To me, it’s just work, and as a professional, I know that the romantic feeling doesn’t have to be real all the time,” the actress told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a June 2024 interview. Forteza added that her relationship with Roberto made her feel so secure that she didn’t find the need to seek comfort with anyone else.
On the other hand, Roberto was supportive of Forteza and Licauco’s partnership, while explaining that he and the actress fully trusted each other when it came to work-related matters as they’re both actors.
“Wala po kaming pakialaman sa trabaho. Parehas kaming actor. Pagdating sa trabaho, trabaho. Pagdating sa love life, love life… Mahalaga ‘yung trust kasi alam namin sa isa’t isa na trabaho lang ‘yun. As long as nagtitiwala kami sa isa’t isa na trabaho lang siya, wala naman nagiging problema,” he said at a “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” interview in August 2023.
(We don’t meddle with each other’s jobs. We’re both actors. When it comes to work, it’s work. When it comes to love life, it’s love life. Trust is important because we know that it’s just work at the end of the day. As long as we maintain that trust for each other, there shouldn’t be any problem.)
@hijak02 Wala munang celebration ng Valentine’s day ngayon Madam @barbieforteza8doneyet ♬ My All – A M I E E E E
Roberto’s apparent “unbothered” outlook gave birth to a series of memes on social media, including the Jak Roberto University (JRU) which portrayed the actor as a “professor of anti-silos.”
He also joked that his laidback response to the love team might’ve earned him the “Prof Jak” moniker.