Jennylyn Mercado was shocked by the tabloid report claiming she rediscounted a check amounting to 400,000 pesos (click here to read the article), but her former handler, Mel Pulmano, reacted to the issue quite calmly.

In a phone conversation with PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) last night, November 4, Mel explained the issue of the check this way: "Kasama iyon sa pina-rediscount sa akin...Nung una, personal checks ko yung ini-issue, more than one million yun. Pati yung sa friend ko, one million din...Mga limang tao kami, kasama si Jen, na nag-rediscount ng personal checks."

Rediscounting checks is the practice of exchanging postdated checks for immediate cash, at the price of taking in a relatively small loss in actual cash at hand. PEP probed: Who asked you to rediscount the personal check of Jennylyn?

Mel chose not to mention names, saying that the matter was elevated to the courts last Tuesday, October 28, when Jennylyn and her manager Becky Aguila slapped her with 19 counts of qualified theft and eight cases of falsification of commercial documents.

(Technically, people involved in court cases can speak about them in public even when the cases have been filed. It is when the prosecutor has ruled that there is, indeed, reason to try the cases and elevates these to the office of a judge that subjudice may be invoked.)

Mel pointed out, however, that she was merely a messenger in all her dealings with a certain "Tita C," whom tabloid columnist Nene Riego has described as someone "kilala at respetado ng mga taga-showbiz na nagpapalit ng tseke sa mababang porsiyento."

She told PEP, "Minsan, personal checks ko talaga yung pinapa-rediscount ko. Pero ilang beses na dadalhin ko ang mga tsekeng ibinigay sa akin ni Becky, at pirmado na ni Jennylyn. Ipapadala sa akin ni Tita C yung pera. Tapos, ibibigay ko ke Becky yung pera."

She added—referring to the P400,000 worth of check—with some emphasis, "Nakita ni Tita C kung sino yung kasama ko, kung sino ang nagbaba sa akin sa kotse, at kung sino ang kasama kong umalis."

The former handler of Jen added that she actually met Tita C through Becky. "Dinadala niya ako doon para magpa-rediscount."

PEP sent a text message to "Tita C" to inquire about Mel's claim, but at press time, we had not received a reply.

WHO DEALT WITH TITA C? According to Nene Riego's column, the cellphone number used to transact with Tita C was 0920-9705025. A total of 22 messages—which included MMS photos of baby Jazz—were sent to that number, allegedly by Jennylyn. According to Riego, Tita C remembered talking to "Jennylyn" through that number.

To this, Mel said: "Number yun ng office namin. Ginagamit din sa office ni Becky. Dun naman sa photo, alam ni Jen kung sino ang mahilig mag-send ng MMS pic ni Jazz."

Becky Aguila has pointed to Mel as the person who had access to that cellphone number and could have used it to call Tita C using Jennylyn's name. When asked Mel if it was she who talked to Tita C using that number and Jennylyn's name, Mel answered with a definite: "No."

Mel added, "Nakuwento nga rin ni Tita C, na minsang kaharap niya ako at kausap, biglang may tumawag at sinasabing ako daw."

Mel stressed that her former alaga, Jennylyn, was not privy to these transactions, and that this is not the first financial discrepancy that Jennlyn has uncovered.