An old post of Kapuso heartthrob David Licauco gained traction anew where he asked social media users who they would choose between him and fellow actor Jak Roberto.
A year before he starred in the hit historical portal fantasy series “Maria Clara at Ibarra” which gave him the tag “Pambansang Ginoo,” David shared a topless picture of him with Barbie Forteza‘s long-time beau with the caption:
“Ako or si Jak? Ayusin niyo mga sagot niyo. Jk [Joke] Heartful_Cafe 8:50 p.m. Jak Roberto. Follow me on IG na din”
David also tagged the Facebook page of his co-actor at that time.
David posted it on May 20, 2021 to promote the 2021 Kapuso romance drama “Heartful Cafe,” where he played the lead role of Ace Nobleza, the goal-driven co-investor of the cafe.
Jak, meanwhile, had a guest role in the series as Jasper.
The show follows online romance novelist and café owner Heart Fulgencio (played by Julie Anne San Jose).
Heart meets a string of characters inside her quaint café who she matchmakes based on their profiles and personalities.
When her business starts to decline, Ace comes to her rescue and becomes her co-investor.
At some point in the show, Ace and Jasper both try to impress Heart.
This involved a so-called “Battle of the Abs” where their characters remove their shirts as they offer to help Heart and the cafe staff retrieve something from the roof.
For the particular episode where the actors had to go topless, Julie Anne reportedly apologized to Barbie, Jak’s girlfriend.
A scene required Julie Anne to place her hands on their chests in an attempt to stop them from fighting each other or having a braw.
“Kaya kinausap ko kaagad si Barbie,” the “Heartful Cafe” lead said in June 2021.
“Sabi ko, ‘Mare, sorry agad. Sorry na agad. Sorry na talaga agad.’ Sabi niya, ‘Hindi, hindi. Okey lang talaga,'” Julie was quoted as saying in Pikapika.ph.
A year later, Barbie was paired with David onscreen through “Maria Clara at Ibarra,” where the actress played the lead role of Klay Infantes while David portrayed her character’s love interest, Fidel de los Reyes.
Their tandem was dubbed as “FiLay,” a portmanteau of the names of Fidel and Klay. Other fans also call it “BarDa,” a combination of Barbie and David’s names.
Barbie is currently in a relationship with Jak, who she has been dating since 2017.
Despite “Maria Clara at Ibarra” ending its television run last February, fans continue to be smitten with the “FiLay” or “BarDa” tandem.
READ: Of love and loss: Story behind upcoming Ben&Ben MV ft. Barbie Forteza, David Licauco
This could be the reason why David’s old Facebook post was brought up anew by some Filipinos who saw his caption and thought of Barbie’s onscreen tandem with him and her real-life relationship with Jak.
“Barbie Forteza, nakapili ka na ba?” a Facebook user asked on May 31, 2023, tagging the actress’ page.
“Barbie Forteza, [ayus-ayusin] mo lang [talaga] desisyon mo, beh,” another online user recently commented.
“Barbie Forteza, ayusin mo daw sagot, mhie,” wrote a different Pinoy, also tagging the actress’ page.
Last March, Barbie described her pairing with David as a “business partnership.”
She also said that her beau is friends with the actor.
In past interviews, Barbie said that Jak understands the concept of love teams since he is also an actor himself.