Businessman and singer Jojo Mendrez defended himself from the suspicions of the netizens who saw several photos of him together with Mark Herras at a luxury hotel in Paranaque.
On February 5, 2025, a Facebook page revealed some of the photos taken at the hotel, showing Jojo and Mendrez sitting and talking together.
“The person seen with Herras seem to be the uprising singer who is now trending on social media. The two spotted together in a hotel casino at around 11:30 pm last Feb 5, both seems so happy together,” the page wrote.
There were reports that some eyewitnesses saw Mark and Jojo entering a hotel room together.
In an interview with Pep.ph, Jojo admitted that he indeed met Mark at the hotel, but it was unplanned.
“Nagkita kami sa Starbucks sa Okada, pero doon kami sa bandang madilim, kasi nga siyempre iniiwasan ko na nga yung usapan na galing nga si Mark Herras sa pagsasayaw sa bar, di ba? Siyempre, pinag-uusapan yung gay-gay issue na yan. Kaya ang ginawa namin, dun kami sa may gilid na madilim sa Starbucks,” said Jojo.
When they met, Jojo discussed that he wanted Mark to do a short dance video of late actress Julie Vega’s song “Somewhere In My Past.”
Mark agreed to Jojo’s request, so they went to the latter’s room to record the content privately.
“Pinalabas na nag-check-in kami ni Mark Herras. Nang dumaan kami sa lobby, siyempre na-recogize siya [Mark] na nakitang magkasama kami. Nagpunta kami dun sa kuwarto. Kumbaga, walang malisya yun. Parang ginawan lang ng content yung sa ‘Somewhere in My Past’ ko, na nagsayaw siya,” he stated.
He also insisted that he didn’t stay with Mark in the hotel room without his manager.
“Pagkatapos niyang sumayaw, dapat maiwan ako dun, pero ayoko. Sinabi ko kina David, baka mamaya mangyari yung dati kay Sandro Muhlach, natakot ako, pag maiwan kami dun ni Mark, e. Nagkukuwentuhan lang naman kami dun. Alam mo na, baka may isyung ganun, di ba? Mahirap na. Kaya, nagkayayaan kami sa casino,” he stated.
It can be recalled that rumors that Mark was receiving indecent proposals from different individuals since he started performing at a popular gay bar.