John in good terms with Melai

All is well between John Prats and Melai Contive­ros even amid his rift with her ex-boyfriend Jason Francisco. “The Buzz” on Sunday showed footage of John and Melai together during a rehearsal for “Banana Split,” with nothing but warmth and friendliness towards each other. In an interview aired on the show, John related that, “Okay na kami (ni Melai).” “Mahal ko si Melai. Ang dami naming pinagsamahan. I felt okay, kasi more than anyone, siya ‘yung importante sa’kin,” he added. The actor-dancer recalled Melai telling him how shocked she was when her ex punched him in the face during the March 21 rehearsal of “Banana Split” at the Mu­sic Museum. “Dumalaw kasi si Jason that time so tinanong ko (si Melai), ‘Ano ‘yung nangyari sa inyo? Nag-away ba kayo?’ Sabi niya, ‘Hindi Kuya. Galing ako sa van, then na­kita ko siya pagpasok ko ng Music Muse­um… Hindi kami nag-usap at all. He went straight to you at ginawa na niya ‘yun,’” John related. As noted in the report, Jason’s reason for hitting John was the alleged bullying that the former couple supposedly suffered from the other cast members of “Banana Split” two years ago. This bewildered the latter, since after the former resigned from the gag show, they got to work together on the defunct noontime show “Happy Yipee Yehey” and the afternoon drama, “Angelito: Ang Bagong Yugto.”

“Ako sa sarili ko alam kong wala akong ginawa sa kanya kaya nakakaharap ako nang maayos sa kanya. That day after the incident, nung tinawagan siya ni Jason Gainza (show co­star), (tinanong si Jason) ‘Ba’t mo ginawa ‘yon? Sabi niya, ‘Hindi ko alam.’ Nag-snap daw siya. Sabi pa niya ‘Kung gusto mo balik ako diyan sa Music Museum, gulpihin ako ni Kuya John.’ It’s not about that. It’s not about getting even.” John maintained that no bullying en­sued among members of “Banana Split.” Poking fun at each other is part of the friendship they share, he added.

That friendship may well be the reason he’s having second thoughts about pur­suing the case he planned to file against Jason. “Parang gusto ko nang magpatawad, but ‘yung half of me parang ganun na lang ba? Minsan kasi ‘pag sobrang mabait ka, minsan naaabuso ka,” he said. Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Ja­son clarified that it was not “totally bul­lying” that urged him to suddenly attack John.

“Kaya kong tanggapin lahat ng jokes, lahat ng pranks basta huwag lang kay Me­lissa (Melai’s real name). Parati ko nga si­nasabi na iba naman ‘yung nakakatawa sa pinagtatawanan talaga. Lagyan lang natin nung limit ba, tsaka ‘yung respeto ba, kasi babae pa din ‘yan,” he said. He likewise apologized anew to the lat­ter and everyone who got affected by what happened. Melai, on the other hand, main­tained her silence on the whole issue.(A. Sanchez, mb)