It's the love triangle no one knows about. John Prats - Maja Salvador - Nancy Castiglione. Scoop investigates.

    It is a rarity in showbiz if celebrities, whether they be newcomers, teenstars, or veteran stars, would be brave enough to admit that they are in a relationship. That's why it's common to hear statements such as "we're only friends" or "we're soulmates" whenever a star is posed the question if he or she is having a romantic relationship with a co-star or the other half of a loveteam or a tandem, even if their actions tend to give them away.

    Even if a tandem is so sweet to each other, you'd still hear the standard answer "We're just friends." It's such an abused phrase. Probably the stars involved in a relationship would just want to be left in peace, away from nosey entertainment writers who find news about relationships an intriguing piece that can be milked dry. But it's really hard to make stars admit these things and we would say it would be extremely lucky for a writer to find one who'd be honest about these matters.

    The latest buzz is that Maja Salvador and John Prats became an item, "pero yun' istorya nila, hindi nagtutugma!" said an unimpeachable Scoop source. Maja, 17 and John, 22 were together in the soap opera, It Might Be You on ABS-CBN where they got close when the series was on. They maintained their friendship even after the soap bowed out of the tube. Before that, John was being linked to Heart Evangelista. On the other hand, Maja was paired with Rayver Cruz and John Wayne Sace in Spirits after being paired with John.

    Several weeks back, items came out in the papers that Maja and John were an item. John was supposed to have admitted to several members of the press whom they invited to a pre-Christmas party in their house that he and Maja were on when he was asked what was Maja doing in the party. John supposedly said that he and Maja were celebrating their first month anniversary as sweethearts on Dec 22, the same date as the pre-Christmas party in the Prats household.

    When it was Maja's turn to be cornered by the press on the said occasion, she was reluctant to admit that she and John were indeed "on." Initially, she denied what John had said. She was, according to those who talked to her, trying her best to evade answering their questions regarding John and their "alleged" relationship. But according to those who talked to her, they did not pressure Maja into admitting whatever it is with her and John. They felt that, if Maja and John were not "on" that time, the teen star would not be forced to admit it.

    When John joined the conversation and learned that Maja would not confirm what he had said, he supposed told Maja "Hindi ka ba aamin? (Are you not going to admit it?), with John's parents supposedly in front of them, including John's sister, Camille Prats, who supposedly said that she's happy for John and Maja (whom she referred to as sister-in-law, or future sister-in-law).

    Some two weeks after Maja supposedly admitted that she and John were "on", she backtracked and belied having said anything or having admitted to the writers the statements they attributed to her. This was during the time an episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya, which Maja did with John Wayne Sace was up for airing. It was bad timing indeed that the news about her being linked to John Prats surfaced. Or was it because they indeed were "on" and then broke up right away since John already has a new flame, actress Nancy Castiglione?

    Yes, according to sources, two weeks before going inside the Big Brother house, John and Nancy became "on." And that John even introduced Nancy to his parents to which Daddy Dondi Prats describes as "mabait." If this were true, John would be Nancy's fourth showbiz boyfriend, the first being Lucky Manzano, then Drew Arellano, and then Paolo Contis. But when Kris Aquino on The Buzz asked Nancy of their "romance", Nancy blurted, "May romance ba?" A few seconds later, Kris asked what Nancy's wish was for John Prats, she replied, "wish na lang for us. I hope we can pick up where we left off" and that their friendship blossoms.

    Anyway, we tried to get Maja's side on the issue if she indeed had a relationship with John but when we got to talk to Manay Chit, she said Maja has a sore throat and could not possibly grant us an interview. We decided to get Manay Chit's reaction on the story. She could speak for Maja, being her manager.

    Manay Chit said that it couldn't be possible that Maja and John became an item without her knowing it since her alaga never hides anything from her. Yes, it's true that Maja went to the said party since the Prats are family friends and the two did became close when they did It Might Be You. But Maja is not yet allowed to entertain suitors since she's only 17. Besides, after the series ended, Manay Chit said that John sort of drifted away since Maja was being paired with Rayver Cruz and John Wayne Sace. So it took a while before John Prats renewed his friendship with Maja.

    "Okay naman si John. Mabait naman siya. When he told me that he wanted to invite Maja to the premiere night of Ako Legal Wife (Regal Films' entry at the recent MMFF where he was one of the stars), pumayag ako na sumama si Maja sa kanya. They arrived together at the premiere," she said. But Maja went home with Manay Chit after the premiere.

    That's why Manay Chit was surprised when John supposedly said on TV that he and Maja watching the premiere was a date. "I don't know exactly when was the premiere but if he said it was just a date, how could then John claim that he and Maja have been on since November 22 when he just asked my permission that he's going to court her," said Manay Chit. She said her eyebrows crossed when she heard what John said during the TV interview.

    Many Chit maintains it's not true that John and Maja became an item, not even for one hour should John claim that he had a relationship with her alaga. She said all these were just press releases from John's camp.

    But the bigger issue would be, will John Prats and Nancy Castiglione make it together as a couple?