PBA courtside reporter Apple David has addressed the public attention surrounding her relationship with Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights player Chad Gammad, saying the two initially met through mutual friends before eventually developing a romantic connection.
David, 33, said during her Sports Ambush program at DWAR Abante Radyo that she was first introduced to Gammad, 18, in September last year by one of his teammates, who is also a family friend from Pampanga.
According to David, the introduction was purely casual and did not involve any attempt to set them up.
“So iyung first introduction was just really an introduction na this is my teammate, this is Chad. Without the intention na ireto, wala talaga, hindi talaga,” David said.
The two followed each other on social media after that meeting but did not communicate until several months later.
“After that first meeting, we just followed each other on social media. No communication whatsoever after that. Casual na casual. Wala talaga,” she said.
David said their interaction changed during Holy Week in April, when Gammad replied to one of her Instagram stories.
“Nag-reply siya sa isang story ko on Instagram. Ah, doon nag-start,” she said.
Their online conversation eventually led to an in-person meeting, which David described as the point when their relationship began to develop.
David also said Gammad knew she was dating someone else when they were first introduced.
“Alam niya. Alam niya,” she said, adding that she was unsure whether Gammad had been keeping track of her relationship status through social media.
By the time Gammad reached out to her in April, however, David said she was already single and had not been communicating with anyone romantically for more than two months.
“Nag-stop iyun bago pa siya pumasok. In fairness naman, siguro mga more than two months na akong wala talagang kinakausap,” she said. “Tapos biglang umieksena siya.”
David said she became attracted to Gammad’s direct personality, which she associated with his upbringing in Canada.
“Hindi ko na-feel iyung age gap namin,” she said. “Siguro kasi, he was raised in Canada. So English speaking. Ibang kultura.”
She described Gammad as straightforward and said she appreciated the lack of what she called “guessing game” in their courtship.
“Wala iyung mga pa-cute, pa-cute, pambobola, deretsahan lang talaga. Eh, ako kasi gusto kong ganon,” David said.
“Yung intention niya, very straight forward din talaga. So ayun ako, gusto ko kasi iyung lalaking-lalaki na hindi iyung pinapaisip ka pa, iyung parang guessing game pa tayo sa pagliligawan.”
Their relationship later became the subject of public discussion, particularly because of their age difference.
David said Gammad was surprised by the amount of attention their personal relationship received, particularly from people online.
“Nagulat siya na bakit parang ano? Bakit kung hindi alam niyo ibang tao, e syempre alam mo naman sa Amerika, sa ibang bansa, kanya-kanya, mind your own business,” she said.
She explained to him that public scrutiny comes with their respective careers because she works as a sports personality and he is a collegiate athlete who is also seen on television.
David said the criticisms did not affect their relationship.
“So ayun lang ang kina-shock niya,” she said. “Pero nung sabi ko sa kanya na gano’n talaga dito, you know, I’m a sports personality now, you are an athlete as well, napaparood ka rin sa TV. So it comes with that. So with all the bashing, hindi kami natinag.”
The controversy also raised questions about whether their relationship affected their professional responsibilities.
David said she continued working as usual as a PBA courtside reporter, while Gammad continued playing for Letran.
“Tuloy-tuloy naman iyung work, wala naman nagbago,” she said.
She added that their employers also asked about the situation and determined that there had been no violation of any law or rule.
“Nung nalaman nila na wala naman palang na-violate na any law, na any rule, wala naman palang masama,” David said.
Still, she acknowledged that their relationship would not necessarily be accepted by everyone.
“It’s not for everybody, this kind of relationship,” she said. (Adrian Co)
