Filipino-American actress Liza Soberano reacted after some Filipinos apologized to her for previously canceling her over comments she made about the Philippines’ love team culture.
The US-based showbiz personality on Thursday, January 15, took to X (formerly Twitter) to question why people were suddenly apologizing to her online.
One X user said, “They cancelled you after your love team remarks, only to be proven that you’re right.”
The comment was noticed by Liza, who responded, “Well, thank you, I guess, hehe. I never really got to expound on why I personally think it’s ‘dangerous’ to be in a love team, so it makes sense people got offended. They didn’t fully understand where I was coming from…”
Well thank you I guess hehe. I never really got to expound on why I personally think it’s “dangerous” to be in a love team so it makes sense people got offended. They didn’t fully understand where I was coming from..
— Liza Soberano (@lizasoberano) January 15, 2026
Her response garnered more than 7,000 likes.
Liza also asked which love team Filipinos were referring to, saying she would be “looking into” it after learning it was former “Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab” Season 1 housemates Will Ashley and Bianca de Vera (WillCa), who are known for their onscreen chemistry.
Looking into this
— Liza Soberano (@lizasoberano) January 15, 2026
Photos of Will and “PBB: Celebrity Collab” Season 1 Big Winner Mika Salamanca together in Hong Kong recently went viral, while Bianca was spotted in Thailand with fellow “PBB” alumnus Dustin Yu.
Will and Bianca’s separate vacations affected some WillCa fans, prompting administrators of their fan accounts to temporarily take a break from social media.
Apart from Will, Bianca has also been linked to Dustin, with fans calling their love team “DustBia.” Both “PBB” alumni were the last pair of housemates to be evicted before the “Big Night.”
Will was also reportedly called out by fans supporting Mika’s pairing with fellow PBB winner Brent Manalo, known as the “BreKa” or “MikBrent” tandem.
Mika’s camp later released a statement, saying that Will was “not part of the original plan” but later joined his fellow “PBB” housemate, along with other friends.
Mika’s camp also said she took the trip “to give herself a much-needed pause and time to rest after a series of overwhelming events.”
Amid the buzz surrounding the “PBB” alumni, some Filipinos recalled Liza’s remarks about Philippine love team culture, with others agreeing with her comments.
This prompted the US-based actress to question why people were apologizing to her.
Upon learning the context, Liza also reshared a post reacting to her interview, in which she explained how love team concepts work in Philippine showbiz.
“Love teams truly are a weird concept to explain to someone who isn’t Filipino. We took it from Hollywood, which in the studio days, did love its tandems (Ginger-Fred, Tracy-Hepburn, and so on), but I feel like Filipino entertainment supercharged it,” the X user said.
“And can we talk about the fact that it’s always the women who end up caged in it? Like, the guys can do solo projects and work with other women (or other actors, period), and it doesn’t hurt them. They’re seen as more versatile,” the X user added.
“But if you’re the female half of the love team, you can’t be seen with another actor, and you have to prove that you can stand on your own or have the ability be paired with someone else to be taken seriously. You have to almost apologize, if you’re the one who wants to break free from the tandem,” the X user said.
Love teams truly are a weird concept to explain to someone who isn’t Filipino. We took it from Hollywood, which in the studio days did love its tandems (Ginger-Fred, Tracy-Hepburn, and so on), but I feel like Filipino entertainment supercharged it.
And can we talk about the… https://t.co/zJ87fstf6H
— Eunice | big goals + creating mode (@ebbandflowph) January 15, 2026
Liza and love teams
In 2023, Liza opened up about how being in a love team with Enrique Gil under the “LizQuen” tandem limited her opportunities, saying she lost a project she really wanted because something else had been planned for their pairing.
“In the Philippines, the only way to become a big star, really — if you’re not a singer, if you’re an actor — is to be in a love team,” she said before to “GET REAL” hosts Ashley Choi and BTOB’s Peniel.
“In love teams, you’re expected to be with just that one person throughout your career and in your personal life. People don’t want to see you aside from any other male actor or any other male in general,” Liza added.
“The fans become so caught up in this kind of illusion that the love team is actually a real-life couple, that when you’re seen with another person — even if they’re you’re real life significant other — they’ll think that your real partner is stealing you from your love team,” she said.
“They create controversies that you’re either cheating in your love team, or that you’re wild and crazy. Sometimes, it really affects your career in a negative way,” the actress continued.
In a vlog appearance, Liza shared that being in a love team felt limiting to her in terms of opportunities.
“It wasn’t ’til later that I realized, oh my God, ang dami kong hindi nagawa sa career ko. And that’s why everybody, I think, takes for granted my talent or acting capabilities because they’ve only seen me in a love team,” she said in Bea Alonzo’s vlog before.
Liza also said she backed out of “Darna” multiple times to save the LizQuen pairing.
She was initially slated to appear in a “Darna” film adaptation, but later withdrew from the project, which was eventually reworked into a television series starring Jane de Leon.
Liza and Enrique began dating in 2014, with the actress sharing that their feelings for each other developed even before they were paired as an onscreen love team.
In an interview, she said that Enrique had “specifically” requested to work with her.
As they shared the same manager, meeting and eventually working together became inevitable.
Their debut as a love team came with the series “Forevermore,” which premiered in October 2014, the same month they officially became a couple.
Liza revealed last year that they broke up in October 2022.
READ: ‘Genuinely expecting’: Liza Soberano opens up about once hoping to marry Enrique Gil
