Kris on dating Herbert: We’re a work in progress

MANILA, Philippines - Ending speculations about her love life, Kris Aquino has finally admitted that she and Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista are dating.

“We are a work in progress, and it is a joint project that both of us are happily undertaking with maturity, respect and commitment,” Kris said, reading from a prepared statement on “Aquino and Abunda Tonight” on ABS-CBN last Monday.

“I am 43 and on May 12, he will be 46. I am sure all of you who are watching me right now will agree when I state that staying together, that choosing to love one another, requires much day-to-day effort. And if there is something that the past has taught me, it is that I can’t do this on my own,” she said.

She said Herbert asked permission from her brother, President Aquino, to date her, weeks before speculations about their relationship came out.

“Maraming iniisip si P-Noy kaya ang intindi niya nung time na yun, may gagawin kami ni mayor na project sa Quezon City (P-Noy has so many things on his mind, at that time he thought that the mayor and I were doing a project in Quezon City),” she said.

She said Bautista’s gesture gained the respect of the President and her sisters “because it showed all of them na malinis ang intension para sa bunso nila (his intentions for their youngest sister were honorable).”

She said she did not introduce anybody to her siblings and sons since she separated from basketball star James Yap four years ago, “because there was nobody I was ready for, and more importantly, there was nobody they were ready to meet.”

“My siblings impressed upon me that I needed to become whole on my own first so as not to commit another mistake. And thank God I listened to them… It was a journey that oftentimes was lonely and painful, yet one I needed to travel to become the person I am today,” she said.

Apparently referring to a photo she posted in her Instagram account, Kris said her family welcomed Bautista to join their family get-together, because they want to know him better and for him to get to know their family. The photo, which shows members of the Aquino family and Herbert seated at the head of a long table, and captioned family dinner, has since been deleted.

While she admitted that part of their “professional and personal responsibilities” is being answerable to the public, Kris said it would be the last time that she would be talking about their relationship.

“I promised him that their relationship won’t be a distraction in his obligations to the three million residents that he took an oath of office to serve,” she said. “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.”

“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 private and quiet about what is here and now,” she added.

Kris said that in coming out to confirm her relationship with Herbert, she “wrote everything down because it’s not just coming from me, it’s coming from both of us.”

It was The STAR that broke the story on Kris and Herbert two weeks ago. There had been much speculation about Kris’ love life in the past few weeks after she admitted that she is in love, but refused to identify the man, as she appealed for privacy.

Among those rumored to be Kris’ new boyfriend were Bataan Gov. Albert Garcia, actor Derek Ramsay and model Daniel Matsunaga.