Dingdong Dantes' gift to Marian Rivera - an expensive bracelet

As you must have heard by now, Dingdong Dantes gave Marian Rivera a diamond bracelet (carats not revealed) last Christmas and she in turn gave him an expensive Omega watch. They wear their gifts like feathers on their caps.
Marian showed Funfare the bracelet during lunch at the newly-opened Via Mare restaurant (on Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City) yesterday where she and movie writer Ernie Pecho, so to speak, smoked the peace pipe. Ernie called Marian “tupperware” (plastic) during the Desparadas 2 presscon in December last year, driving her to tears.
Still and all, Marian (whose new GMA TV starrer with Dingdong, Carlo J. Caparas’ Ang Babaing Hinugot sa Aking Tadyang, kicked off last Monday night with a high rating) insisted that the bracelet doesn’t mean that she and Dingdong are “an item,” admitting that even if they are both free/eligible, “We just want to enjoy each other’s company; nakakalabas naman kami, kumakain kami,” but they are not committed to each other...yet?
Is it then only a matter of time before they go beyond being, ehem, just “special friends?”
“I don’t know,” Marian said, then laughed and laughed, covering her face with the right hand on which she wears the bracelet.
For the nth time, Marian said that she didn’t “steal” Dingdong from Karylle.
“I know the real story. I happened to be the woman closest to Dingdong because of our work, so people suspected that I caused the break-up. Alam ni Kaye na hindi ko inagaw sa kanya si Dingdong.”
Has she crossed paths with Karylle?
“Not yet. It’s not true that we are avoiding each other. I have no problem with Kaye.”
The feeling seems to be mutual.
When Karylle saw Ernie Pecho at the S magazine luncheon the other day, she told him, “Give (Marian) a chance.” Told about it, Marian was touched. “Wow, thank you naman,” she smiled. [FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo]