AlDub Nation just received fresh tidbits of kilig from Maine Mendoza, over a decade after the phenomenon that once ruled Philippine pop culture.
The actress and TV host candidly revisited her loveteam years with Alden Richards in a newly uploaded Eat Bulaga! TVJ YouTube video titled "Tamang Panahon Ep. 5: ANG TAMANG PANAHON."
She answered a fan question that has long hovered over the iconic pairing: did they truly fall in love with each other off-cam?
Read: Alden Richards message to Maine Mendoza: "Hindi ako masyadong naging vocal about this..."
Maine: "Na-inlove ako kay Alden"
The netizen's question read in full: "Hmmm siguro if may gusto ako malaman... yun ay kung sa mga panahon ng Kalyeserye/Aldub.
"Kung minahal ba nila (Alden/Maine) truly/ genuinely ang isa't isa na more than sa pagmamahal ng magkaibigan, nanligaw ba and nabasted ba si Alden and why?
"Ay ganyan po ba tanong pwede?"
Without hesitation, Maine admitted what many fans had long suspected: she genuinely fell for Alden during their time as AlDub.
"Ako, na-in love talaga ko kay Alden, vocal naman ako dun. Kahit sino naman yung magtanong sa akin, sasagutin ko naman nang diretso," she said.
"Na-in love ako sa kanya pero hindi siya nanligaw. Walang ganun."
According to Maine, Alden was fully aware of her feelings because she had told him directly.
"Alam din niya, kasi nga vocal ako sa lahat ng tao, pati kay Alden mismo.
"Alam ni Alden yun, sinabi ko naman sa kanya rekta, pero hindi siya nanligaw. Friends lang kami."
Her co-host Paolo Ballesteros chimed in, asking the inevitable: "Pero kung nanligaw siya sa yo noon?"
Maine answered: “Oo naman, kasi in love ako sa kanya, e. Na-in love ako talaga.
"Alam niyo lahat yan mga Dabarkads," she said, causing laughter and teasing in the studio.
alden: "MAWAWALA YUNG MAGIC"
Maine also revealed that she once asked Alden point-blank how he felt about her.
“Tinanong ko siya noon e, kasi ang straightforward ko na tao. Tinanong ko siya rekta, ‘Sabihin mo na sa akin, ano bang nararamdaman mo for me?’”
Alden’s response? “‘Di ko pwedeng sabihin sa yo kasi mawawala yung magic,’” Maine recalled.
The confession drew laughs from the Dabarkads, with Wally Bayola joking, “Dapat si David Blaine pala…”
Still, Maine emphasized that despite the unanswered feelings, they both reached a healthy closure.
“Grabe yung relationship din namin ni Alden off-cam. Pero may closure naman kaming dalawa.
“Napag-usapan namin lahat. Pero rollercoaster din talaga.”
The cast ends the topic by expressing their desire to have Alden over, to share his side of things.
Read: Maine Mendoza gets PHP6.5M Hermès Mini Kelly from Arjo Atayde
ALDEN'S SIDE OF THE STORY
Interestingly, Alden had already addressed the same topic in Fast Talk With Boy Abunda back in October 2023.
When asked if he fell for Maine during the peak of AlDub, Alden replied without hesitation: “Yes, hypocrite po ako kung hindi. Ayoko pong sabihing alam niya but I did confess.”
He added that he would always remain thankful to Maine and Eat Bulaga! for everything their tandem brought into his career.
“Ang daming opportunities na dumating sa buhay ko because of it [AlDub]. I’m very grateful to Maine.”
AlDub’s rise to fame in 2015 was nothing short of phenomenal.
Their accidental pairing on Eat Bulaga!’s “Kalyeserye” segment—Maine as the shy, lip-synching “Yaya Dub” and Alden as himself—captured the imagination of millions.
The loveteam’s chemistry fueled record-breaking Twitter trends and even led to the historic “Tamang Panahon” event at the Philippine Arena, where thousands of fans gathered to witness their story unfold live.
It was a cultural wave that united generations of Filipinos both on television and online.
But like many showbiz tandems, the two eventually went their separate ways in 2018.
Alden pursued drama and film projects, while Maine leaned toward comedy, most notably in Daddy’s Gurl with Vic Sotto.
Today, Maine has happily moved forward in her personal life.
She married actor-politician Arjo Atayde in July 2023 in a romantic Baguio City ceremony attended by close friends, family, and several showbiz personalities.
Alden, meanwhile, remains one of GMA Network’s most bankable stars.
While he has openly shared that he is single, he continues to focus on acting projects and philanthropic endeavors, keeping his personal life largely private.
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