VivaOne actress and model Rhen Escaño has firmly denied allegations that she cheated on her former boyfriend, Kapuso actor Kokoy de Santos, following the airing of his life story on GMA Network’s drama anthology ‘Magpakailanman’.
In a series of Instagram Stories posted on Thursday, January 22, Escaño broke her silence and addressed what she described as a damaging, one-sided narrative.
“He made her the villain in his story. She stayed quiet for so long to save him. For years, she chose silence to protect his name even if it cost her own. Pero 2026 na, pa-victim ka pa rin?” she wrote.
Escaño then issued a direct and unequivocal denial of the cheating claims linked to the episode, which portrayed an unnamed former girlfriend who allegedly betrayed de Santos.
“Once and for all, let me get straight to the point. I NEVER CHEATED ON HIM,” she stated.
She went on to criticize what she called the dangers of presenting only one side of a story, especially when it harms another person’s reputation and career.
“Oh, the danger of a one-sided story. Using someone in your ‘life story’ episode to sell lies, play the victim, and damage another person’s career crosses a line. That is not storytelling, it’s cruelty. That kind of manipulation is unforgivable,” Escaño added.
The actress also appealed to the public to exercise fairness and restraint in reacting to such issues.
“And to those choosing to believe only one side: if you can’t seek the truth, if you can’t be fair, at least be kind with your words,” she said.
Escaño’s statement came after the broadcast of Magpakailanman’ episode titled ‘A Son’s Promise: The Kokoy De Santos Story,’ which aired on January 17. The episode revisited de Santos’ personal journey and included a storyline about a painful breakup involving alleged infidelity, though no names were mentioned.
Escaño and de Santos were previously in a relationship that lasted several years before ending in 2023. They first worked together on ‘Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman’, hosted by the late German “Kuya Germs” Moreno.
As of this writing, de Santos has yet to release a statement responding to Escaño’s remarks.
