MANILA, Philippines—Cast as the “other woman” in a real-life soap opera, actress Krista Ranillo is “suffering anxiety attacks,” her manager Arnold Vegafria told the INQUIRER.

For weeks now, the grapevine has been rife with rumors linking Ranillo to married boxing sensation Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.

“As far as I know, Krista and Manny are just friends and co-stars,” said Vegafria, who called from Switzerland on Thursday.

Before he left for Europe, Vegafria said the 25-year-old actress had asked his permission to join Team Pacquiao in Las Vegas for his prizefight with Miguel Cotto last Sunday.

“I allowed her to go since she’s on break from taping [the ABS-CBN show] ’Agimat.’ At that time, I didn’t know that the intrigues would explode like this.”

When he last spoke to Ranillo on Wednesday, Vegafria said his talent was deeply troubled. “She’s suffering. She’s being hit from all sides. Kawawa naman siya. [I pity her.] She’s getting anxious.”

He recalled that Ranillo also asked for his advice on how to handle the raging controversy.

“I don’t usually meddle in the personal lives of my artists,” he explained. “But she consulted me about the issue and I advised her to face the music and tell the truth. These rumors will never stop until you confront them.”

Ranillo has gone on the record to deny her alleged affair with Pacquiao, along with rumors that she’s pregnant with his love child.

As a manager, he said, it’s his job to contain the worsening situation. He is aware that his ward is being portrayed in a bad light in the media, specifically, as a homewrecker and seductress.

“I need to do some damage control. It’s just unfortunate that we are miles away from each other. I’m in Europe [for the concert tour of another talent Billy Crawford] and she is in the US. I plan to sit down with her and have a heart-to-heart talk as soon as we are back in Manila,” he said.

Vegafria says he feels as helpless as his ward. “I don’t know the real score. I really need to discuss matters with Krista. Every day, I receive calls from the media. Krista has turned off her phone . . . to avoid the press. So I have no way of contacting her.”

He said he isn’t aware of the paparazzi video currently making the rounds in the Internet. In the stolen shot, Pacquaio is seen driving a car with “a woman other than his wife.” In various reports, it was implied that the unidentified woman, who was covering her face in the video, was actually Ranillo.

“I don’t know anything about the video. All I know was that she had been invited by Team Pacquaio to watch the fight. I allowed her because they were just kabarkadas (gangmates). I never expected it to get this bad. That’s why I told her that she needs to talk soon.”

To clear things out, Vegafria is setting up a press conference upon Ranillo’s return to the country, which will coincide with her launch as the 2010 sexy calendar girl of Ginebra, a liquor company that Pacquiao also endorses.

He also denied allegations that Ranillo’s entire family flew to Las Vegas on business class to watch the fight.

“Her family’s now based in Los Angeles, where her younger brother works as a chef and her younger sister studies,” Vegafria said.

Ranillo is the eldest of the three children of actor Mat Ranillo III and former model Linda Tupas.

He also denied rumors that Ranillo was pushed into the affair with Pacquiao by her father who is reportedly running for a congressional seat in Mindanao.

In 2007, Ranillo’s father ran and lost in his bid for a congressional seat in the second district of Zamboanga del Norte. According to reports, Pacquiao had promised to “support” Ranillo’s political plans.

“I have no idea about Mat’s political plans. I don’t manage Matt. We haven’t really talked about politics,” Vegafria said.

There are also speculations that the controversy could just be a gimmick to promote Pacquiao and Ranillo’s movie, ‘Wapakman,’” a science-fiction fantasy and an entry in this December’s Metro Manila Film Festival.

In the movie, Pacquiao plays an unlikely superhero, while Ranillo portrays a sweet teacher who transforms into a sultry villainess.

In real life, Ranillo, who has graced the covers of two sexy men’s magazines (Maxim and FHM) and as a columnist in one (Maxim), couldn’t be farther from the current public perception of her as a temptress, her manager insisted.

“She’s very simple and intelligent,” said Vegafria who started managing the actress after she graduated from college three years ago.

Ranillo finished high school in Poveda and college in Ateneo de Manila University where she took Interdisciplinary Studies, with tracks in Psychology and Communications.

Her grandmother, veteran actress Gloria Sevilla, expressed pride in Ranillo in a previous interview with the INQUIRER.

“Krista gave up show biz for two years to concentrate on her studies. That kid is a scholar. It would be a pity to quit,” Sevilla said.

Ranillo was also previously linked to another married celebrity, actor Michael de Mesa, 10 years ago, when Ranillo was barely 16.

Ranillo has since denied the rumor, but De Mesa’s ex-wife, actress Gina Alajar, posted in her Facebook account: “If I were Jinkee Pacquaio, I wouldn’t give up on Manny because of Krista ... she is not at all worth it.”

In an interview, Alajar told the INQUIRER that although she’s not confirming the gossip, she’s standing by her post and that it was just her opinion on a raging controversy. “It was just an unsolicited advice.” In any case, Alajar said that she bears “no ill feelings toward anyone. That’s the past.”

Vegafria admitted that the controversy would not really harm Ranillo’s image who’s now pursuing more mature roles.

It’s still up for grabs though whether she can survive this, her toughest role so far, as the “third side” in this true-life soap opera.