Jao Mapa reveals Rosanna Roces was his ‘one that got away’

MANILA, Philippines — Actor and visual artist Jao Mapa considers actress Rosanna Roces as the “one that got away” in his life.

Jao shared the revelation during his interview with journalist Susan Enriquez for her vlog, where he opened up about his past relationship with the actress and looked back on some of the memorable chapters of his showbiz career.

According to Jao, their romance began while they were filming “Matrikula,” the only movie where they were paired.

Released in 1997, “Matrikula” came at a time when Rosanna was at the height of her popularity, while Jao was gradually moving away from his youthful image as one of the popular young actors of the 1990s and taking on more mature roles.

The film, however, did not perform well at the box office. Jao admitted that accepting the project eventually became one of the career decisions he regretted.

Despite the film's poor box-office performance, it became significant in Jao's personal life as it was during the shoot that his relationship with Rosanna reportedly blossomed.

Jao also recalled another controversial chapter from his younger years during the interview.

The actor opened up about a private video of himself that was leaked and later circulated online. Looking back, he attributed the incident to his reckless youth and impulsive decisions.

His revelations gave viewers a glimpse into a more personal side of Jao, who has since focused much of his time on visual art while occasionally making headlines for stories from his showbiz past.

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