Jaypee Santos wasn't a household name in the Philippines. In fact, if it not for now ex-girlfriend Janine Tugonon, Miss Universe 2012 1st runner-up, very few people would have given him such thought. But when his breakup with the beauty queen and the circumstances surrounding it became public, his apparent heroism is recognised by their fellow Filipinos online.

Jaypee isn't unattractive by any means, but calling him fine-looking would have been a generous compliment. Perhaps people were just expecting him to be conventionally handsome. After all, his girlfriend almost nabbed the title of the most beautiful woman in the world in 2012 so it was just expected that he would be on par with her in looks.

Janine didn't seem to care, though. The 23-year-old licensed pharmacist had always mentioned her boyfriend in interviews, even bluntly admitting at one time that she had to tone it down because people were starting to notice how much she talked about Jaypee.

She defended Jaypee in previous interviews, saying that she didn't need a "Brad Pitt."

Nevertheless, Jaypee had become somewhat of a hero to ordinary-looking men across the country. If he could have a girlfriend as beautiful as a Miss Universe first runner-up, then it wouldn't be far-fetched for them to achieve a similar fate as well.

So when their guest appearance on a morning talk show aired on TV earlier this week (filmed three weeks ago), in which Janine admitted she broke up with Jaypee over her attraction to The Script frontman Danny O'Donaghue, the support for the apparently embattled boyfriend poured out online.

Several "Jaypee" memes appeared online in his support, with some even calling what happened to him as "Janined." An open letter addressed to Jaypee written in the couple's native Filipino language also goes viral. The letter sympathises with him for his plight, while commending him for taking it all in stride.

Netizens are now calling Jaypee a martyr who steadfastly stands by his famous girlfriend even when he looked hurt while she recounted on national TV her encounter and subsequent flirtatious message exchanges with the Irish singer during the band's concert in the Philippines.

As Janine is being wildly criticised for being seemingly insensitive and unfaithful, Jaypee quickly defended her from her bashers, telling them that the interview was just misunderstood.

"She's not with anyone. People misunderstood a lot of things," he wrote on Twitter, replying to one of Janine's critics. He wrote that Janine was just confused, but she didn't act on her attraction. He also implored his supporters to not judge his ex-girlfriend because there was a deeper reason to their breakup.

He might come across as a victim, but he is right nonetheless. Janine's bashers have seemingly forgotten in just four months how she had made her countrymen proud in the prestigious international beauty contest.

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