Kris Aquino admits dating Herbert Bautista: 'We are a work in progress'

MANILA, Philippines – Kris Aquino finally breaks her silence about her love life as the TV host-actress admits she is currently dating Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista.

“We are a work in progress and it's a joint project that both of us are happily undertaking with maturity, respect, and commitment,” he said on the ABS-CBN late night talk show “Aquino and Abunda Tonight” on Monday, April 7. 

The revelation comes after weeks of speculation about the identity of Kris' new love, which she has hinted about on social media and her morning show “Kris TV.” Her admission proves previous reports correct—including the one written by The STAR entertainment editor Ricky Lo last month that said Kris is dating an actor-politician who “has never been married but has kids by two (or three?) different women” and is “well-liked by denizens of both showbiz and politics.”

Kris further said Herbert asked for permission from her brother President Benigno Aquino III to date her. 

“Weeks before any speculation about us came out, personal po siyang humingi ng permiso sa kuya ko. Maraming iniisip si Pnoy, kaya ang intindi niya nung time na yun, may gagawin kami ni mayor na project para sa Quezon City. Until later that same day, nagtext kaming magkapatid, natawa si PNoy na permission to date his sister pala ang hiningi,” she revealed.

Herbert's gesture, Kris added, “gained the respect” of her siblings because “it showed all of them na malinis ang intensyon para sa bunso nila.” 

She also admitted, as what her Instagram post revealed, that the actor-politician was present during her father's get-together dinner over the weekend “because they want to know him better and they want him to get to know our family.”

The ABS-CBN star said her relationship with Herbert won't be a distraction to his obligations as the mayor of Quezon City. Herbert in turn respect and admires her work in show business, Kris said. 

Kris stated that her admission on “Aquino and Abunda Tonight” will be the last time she will talk about Herbert at this point of their lives.

“I am 43. And on May 12, he will be 46. I am sure all of you who are watching right now will agree when I state that staying together, that choosing to love one another requires much day to day effort,” she said.

Kris further said, “And if there's something that the past has thought me, it is that I can't do this on my own. Herbert and I are partners in either the failure and success of 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.”