Kris Aquino, Herbert Bautista dating: ‘A chance at forever’?

MANILA, Philippines – The Queen of All Media has broken her silence.

Actress-TV host Kris Aquino finally confirmed that she and Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista are dating.

In the Monday, April 5 episode of Aquino and Abunda Tonight, Kris disclosed that Herbert sought the permission of her brother, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III (popularly known as P-Noy), to date her.

“Weeks before any speculation about us came out, personal po siyang humingi ng permiso sa kuya ko. Maraming iniisip si P-Noy kaya ang inintindi niya nung time na iyon may gagawin kami ni Mayor na project para sa Quezon City.  Until later that same day, nag-text kaming magkapatid, natawa na lang si P-noy at permission to date his sister pala ang hiningi,” Kris read.

(Weeks before any speculation about us came out, he personally asked permission from my brother. P-Noy had so many things on in his mind and he thought the mayor and I were going to do a project for Quezon City. Until later the same day when we were texting, P-Noy laughed  because that’s when he realized that Herbert was asking for permission to date P-Noy’s sister.)

Respect

“But that gesture gained the respect of my brother and sisters because it showed all of them na malinis ang intention para sa bunso nila. (He had good intentions for their youngest sister.) Yes, my family welcomed him during our get together because we want to know him better,” she continued.

She also said that this will be the last time she will talk about Herbert in any of her shows, interviews or her social media accounts.

“I promised him that our relationship won’t be a distraction in his obligations to the 3 million residents he took an oath of office to serve.  He has given more than 25 years of dedicated public service and my respect for him and his office is such that I don’t want to add stress, but hopefully give him inspiration,” Kris said.

“In turn, Herbert has expressed his admiration and respect for the dedication and hard work I have put into my profession.  And he values the love, you, my audience and I have shared value on a daily basis for almost 20 years.”

‘A chance at forever’

Kris talked about what it took to make it work, as well as lessons learned from the past. The greatest lesson, she said, was that she couldn’t do it all by herself.

“Herbert and I are partners in either the failure or success of our being together. And we can strengthen what we have by allowing ourselves to have a chance at forever by keeping quiet and private about what is here and now.”

“We are a work in progress and it’s a joint project that both of us are happily undertaking with maturity, respect and commitment,” Kris ended.

Rumors of the two dating have been the subject of rumors for weeks before Kris finally admitted that she was happily dating. Although she refused to name names, many believed that she was referring to Herbert, who is known for movies such as Bagets, and Capitain Barbell in the ‘80s.

Herbert, who will turn 46 this May, is on his second term as mayor of Quezon City. He was previously Vice Mayor under now House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte from 2001 to 2010. He also served as vice mayor of the city from 1995 to 1998, and was the youngest to hold the post in the city at 27 years old in 1995.

The news of the two seeing each other became more apparent when Kris posted a photo of her together with her family during a dinner gathering, which included Herbert.

The photo was reported to have been captioned “Finally, dinner,” along with three heart emoticons.  

The photo has since been deleted and replaced with a collage of Kris together with sons Josh and Bimby along with President Noynoy Aquino. 

Kris was recently linked to actor Derek Ramsay after she thanked him on Instagram saying that she valued Derek’s friendship, after they bonded over coffee. – Rappler.com