IT has been four months since Kathryn Bernardo confirmed the end of an era for one of the country’s most promising loveteam in the Philippine entertainment scene: KathNiel, her reel-to-real loveteam with Daniel Padilla. But it seems that several netizens are now ready to see the 28-year-old actress in a new tandem.

Bernardo has been linked recently to two well-known Filipino actors: Alden Richards and Jericho Rosales.

Bernardo and Richards had their first collaboration project when they topbilled the romance film “Hello, Love, Goodbye” in 2019. Meanwhile, it was confirmed in late January 2024 that Rosales parted ways with model Kim Jones after nearly a decade of marriage. The two actors both attended Bernardo’s 28th birthday party, which became the talk of the town as photos and clips from the celebration made rounds online.

News outfit Philstar.com made a poll where it asked netizens who among the two actors Bernardo should choose. According to its report, many social media users chose Richards over Rosales. Others, however, said they wouldn’t choose between Richards and Rosales as they wanted Bernardo to enjoy her single era and focus on self-love.

But how did these ships begin? Let’s take a look back at some moments these actors had in recent days.

Kathryn and Jericho

In January, a photo of Bernardo having a late-night jog with Rosales at the Marikina Sports Complex went viral, generating speculations of dating and a collaboration project between the two celebrities. However, the actress quickly shut down romance rumors and clarified that she only joined the aerobic exercise because she was invited by her friend and fellow “Goin’ Bulilit” alum John Manalo, who is also Rosales’ nephew.

In an interview with ABS-CBN, Bernardo said that the outdoor exercise took place at 11 p.m. and that they were “just having fun and working out.” This happened after Bernardo and Rosales were seen attending the gender reveal party of Maja Salvador and Rambo Nuñez’s first child.

In February, Rosales delivered a congratulatory message to Bernardo when she renewed her contract with her home network ABS-CBN. In a pre-recorded video, Rosales praised Bernardo whom he said has been doing “great” and he hopes to work on a project with her in the future.

The actress then posted a carousel of photos during her first solo trip abroad. Many netizens cheered for Bernardo in the comment section, including Rosales who wrote, “You go girl. Proudaya.”

Several netizens couldn’t help but gush over Bernardo and Rosales in a tribute reel for star builder Johnny Manahan, popularly known as Mr. M, which Nice Print Photo shared on Instagram. The two stars were seen in one frame as they answered the question, “What ‘M’ word best describes Mr. M?”

Some Instagram users pointed out the “chemistry” that Bernardo and Rosales displayed in the video. One netizen commented, “KathEcho layag na layag!? Project when?”

During the actress’ 28th birthday party in Palawan, Rosales could be seen singing his version of Eraserheads’ “Ang Huling El Bimbo,” along with another female singer, as seen in a video shared by a netizen on TikTok.

Kathryn and Alden

Meanwhile, the name “KathDen,” the portmanteau of Bernardo and Richards’ first names, has been trending on X (formerly Twitter), particularly after a clip of the Kapuso actor made rounds online where he was seen surprising the Kapamilya actress with a big bouquet of red roses at her surprise birthday party.

In an Instagram story posted by Boop Yap, which has been shared by other netizens, Richards could be seen carrying a big bouquet of red roses and a gift from a French luxury house. The actress was apparently surprised by Richards’ presence at the event.

Some eagle-eyed netizens also noticed the black rings that Bernardo and Richards were wearing on their index fingers. A KathNiel fan said, “I’m a fan of kathniel since day one, but seeing kath with alden hits different, iba yong kilig with matching black rings pa.”

Creative director Earl Semitara shared another video of the two stars where they were seen close to one another as they took photos at the bar area. Richards was spotted wrapping his arms around Bernardo, while the latter clung to the actor.

Bernardo reunited with her “Hello, Love, Goodbye” co-stars Richards, Maymay Entrata, Kakai Bautista, and Lovely Abella during her birthday celebration in Palawan. The cast posed for a photo aboard a yacht.

During the beach party, Richards and Bautista serenaded Bernardo with their version of “Bakit Ngayon Ka lang.”

Meanwhile, Bernardo described her 28th birthday celebration as her “happiest birthday to date,” as she shared clips from her Palawan birthday party.