MANILA - Andi Eigenmann is standing by her statement that former boyfriend Jake Ejercito is the "father" of her four-year-old daughter, Adrianna "Ellie" Gabrielle.
In a press conference held Tuesday, the 25-year-old Eigenmann explained: "You don't become a father by biology, you can be a father by faith."
"It doesn't matter who the real father is, what matters is who has been there from the very beginning, which is why Jake is the father. If people assume that I'm saying Jake is really the father, then go ahead and believe that," she added.
According to reports, Ellie's father could be either Ejercito or actor Albie Casino, whom Eigenmann also had a past relationship with. The latter has already denied the claim.
Eigenmann, in the same press conference, also revealed that she is back in the dating scene. She admitted to seeing a non-showbiz guy but maintained: "Hindi pa kami actually."
"Masaya ako pero I'm taking it slow this time ...Dati kasi parang wala ng nag-re-respeto ng personal kong buhay, siyempre kahit na artista ako I made a commitment to share my life to the industry."
"But then again, this time he's not in showbiz so I hope that they would respect that side of my life from now onbecause nakakahiya naman sa kanya. Let's respect that he's a private person. Tungkol na lang sa akin yung mga tanong."
Eigenmann, however, teased: "Simple lang siyang tao, down-to-earth, sobrang we connect. Magkasundo kami in the shallow sense but we can connect also on a very deep level. Which is something that I thought I would never find again."
She said that Ellie and her new date have yet to meet.