MANILA, Philippines?Luis Manzano has denied rumors that he and girlfriend Angel Locsin have broken up and insisted that they are merely going through a ?phase.?

?In the beginning, we agreed to protect our relationship by keeping it private,? the actor said during Tuesday?s press conference for his movie ?In My Life.? ?It?s only proper that we treat this phase the same way. I don?t want to answer questions about Angel. What?s between us is very personal.?

Tabloid reports said Angel called it quits with Luis after he was romantically linked with actress Maricar Reyes. The actor denied this as well. He said all he knew about Maricar was that she was supposed to be his love-team partner in the defunct show ?Flash Bomba.? Maricar was replaced by Roxanne Guinoo.

?I?ve been hearing the weirdest stories,? said Luis, who claimed to be in constant communication with Angel. ?There?s no third party?there never was.?

Luis also clarified that Angel meant well when she praised Nora Aunor, screen rival of his mom Vilma Santos.

?I heard that Vilmanians felt bad because of a comment Angel made about Ms Nora Aunor when she did the remake of ?Himala?,? he said. ?When Angel said Ms Nora is a good actress, that did not mean she disrespected Mommy. Ms Nora is really good at what she does, even the Vilmanians know that.?

Tabloids reported that Angel?s absence from the TV special titled ?Vilma: A Woman for All Seasons? also drew negative reactions from Vilmanians. Luis came to her defense, saying Angel is a professional and that she had reasons for turning down the project.

Luis plays the role of Mark in the Olivia Lamasan film ?In My Life,? written by Raymond Lee and Senedy Que, which premieres in local theaters on Sept. 16. Vilma is Shirley, mother of Mark, her estranged gay son who is suffering from colon cancer. John Lloyd Cruz is Noel, Mark?s lover.

E-mail: mcruz@inquirer.com.ph