Photo from Instagram/Janella Salvador
Janella admitted through an interview with entertainment journalist Ricky Lo that Elmo hurt her because of an argument after attending a party hosted by a friend. She also claimed that was the second incident that she experienced physical violence from the actor. The first incident that Janella was mistreated was when Magalona had a drink. Janella and Elmo both seek professional help after the incident to overcome the trauma caused. Janella admitted that she gave Elmo a lot of chances and even a chance to speak up for himself. She stated that she can no longer tolerate Elmo’s abusive behavior which led to their separation.
Janella’s mother, Jenine Desiderio, stated that Elmo personally apologized to her and promised to release a public apology. The promised apology never took place. This led Janella to break her silence through the said interview with Ricky Lo.
Janella made it clear that she decided to no longer work with Elmo for future projects.
In a recent show in Canada, the two shared a duet on stage – which was heart breaking for many of their fans as it may be their final time together. It was seen that Janella kept her distance from Elmo while Elmo shed tears as he sung ‘Born for You’ with Janella possibly for the last time.
“We built something beautiful—our friendship, our relationship—but some beautiful things need to come to an end,” Janella stated.
Physical abuse in relationships is considered as one of the serious problems which many women face today. Many women, like Janella, experience physical violence from their partners and sometimes these incidents are kept unspoken out of fear.
Janella breaking her silence over the abuse she experienced from her co-star was a brave act as many women are kept quiet over the abuse they face out of threat or fear. Janella’s act of braveness could be an inspiration to many women who encounter physical violence from their partners, to be brave to speak up for themselves. On the other hand, this could also be a lesson for men and everyone else that committing physical abuse will always be unacceptable.
This could also serve as a message for us to speak up for those women and men who continue to be physically and emotionally abused but are kept quiet due to many factors.
Physical, emotional, or any kind of abuse will never be acceptable. Though Elmo allegedly apologized for his abusive actions, an apology will never take away the trauma or the wound caused by violence. Regardless of the relationship they built, Janella chose to take care of herself and her loved ones by walking away from a relationship that caused her harm.
Physical abuse continues to be a problem among Filipinas and women all around the world which should always be addressed and should not be tolerated.
