Dennis Trillo and Jennylyn Mercado

After having been rumored to be courting actress Heart Evangelista, Dennis Trillo, it seems, is off to a new pursuit.

Not much has been said if his efforts to woo Evangelista failed, but recent reports are now pointing to young actress Jennylyn Mercado being Trillo’s newest ‘target.’

Trillo and Mercado are co-stars in the GMA soap “Gumapang ka sa Lusak.”

A couple of wags have already reported seeing the two constantly out on a ‘date.’

According to these wags, these are far from ‘friendly dates’ as the two were allegedly by their lonesome and appeared very much ‘into each other.’

“They were holding hands and very sweet,” reported one tabloid.

One tabloid went as far as to insinuate that Mercado is now a constant visitor in Trillo house.

“A source of ours saw the young actress at Trillo’s place a couple of times already,” the tabloid reported.

After trying to keep mum on the matter for a few weeks, Trillo was forced to admit to what is becoming to be an all too “regular” rendezvous with the young mother of Patrick Garcia’s son; this, after a photo showing him and Mercado spending time together in Hong Kong surfaced in yet another tabloid.

In a “Chika Minute” report on GMA’s news program “24 Oras,” Trillo sheepishly said, “That picture is… real. [Mercado and I] went [to Hong Kong during the Holy Week].”

That said, he adamantly refuted the notion that they are already an ‘item.’

“No. We just hang out, we see each other all the time, but as far as serious commitment [with each other]…of course, we need more time,” he explained.

In a separate interview, Mercado also admitted to the same.

“We just enjoy each other’s company. I’m happy when I’m with [Trillo].” 

The two, it seems, are not too keen to make the relationship official.

“Let’s all just wait and see. We’re not in a hurry. We just enjoy doing things together,” Trillo offered.

“Who knows? Let’s see if it’s going to work out,” Mercado countered.

Meanwhile, Mercado didn’t deny her flesh-baring photos and having a tattoo done on her lower back, as seen recently in an adult website.

“Ah, maybe they got it from my cousins’ Facebook account…it’s nothing,” said she. Presumably, the photos were taken when she had her tattoos retouched in Plantation Bay in Cebu.

According to Mercado, who is also a singer, she got the original tattoo five years ago.  “It’s a musical symbol, a G-clef with notes and a guitar.”