‘In 3 years, I hope to be married!’

Filipinos might be wont to think that Kris Aquino’s showbiz success was just there for her (easy) picking, given the "advantages" of having been born the daughter of a national hero, Ninoy Aquino, and a beloved former president, Cory Aquino. But if one looks back to when she was an 18-year-old showbiz ingenue, one is bound to give Kris the credit she deserves.

After all, if Pido Dida, her first movie, had made a killing at the box-office (which it eventually did), people would have said – and they actually did say so – that moviegoers watched it because she was the daughter of the President. But had Pido Dida flopped, people would have said it did so despite the fact that Kris was the daughter of the President. Seen from this light, Kris had as much to lose as she had to gain whatever the outcome of her first movie had been.

Fourteen years later, Kris has transcended Pido Dida and moved into the realm of award-winning actress. Her role in Mano Po won for her the Metro Manila Film Festival and Star Awards Best Supporting Actress awards.

Kris is also touted to be the country’s highest-paid TV host, which is not improbable given how her three TV shows – the daily weekday morning talk show Morning Girls with Kris & Korina, the daily weekday primetime game show Game K N B? and the Sunday showbiz gabfest The Buzz – are all number one in their respective time slots and genres. Topping these all off, her latest movie You and Me Against the World with Robin Padilla enjoyed an extended run in theaters.

Kris once felt she was close to losing it all because of the headline-hogging hoopla last year caused by her relationship with Parañaque Mayor Joey Marquez.

Now, seven months later, that seemingly long night has passed and Kris is basking in the glow of a radiant morning. She is all smiles despite a persistent cough ("My respiratory system is really my Waterloo," she says). She does admit it is hard being Kris Aquino, "Pero masaya!" she interjects. "I’m a happy person. As Korina (Sanchez) says, walang masamang tinapay sa akin. I don’t carry the weight of the world on my shoulders."

Kris continues, "Last year I went through this feeling na parang am I gonna lose everything? I was up for some commercials and napunta sa iba siyempre, because (advertisers might not have wanted) someone as controversial and all. Then I realized, ‘Why am I being punished? I am not a bad person’. I also realized I’ve always done my job well and despite all of that, my network stood by me, because I brought home the bacon – the show (Game K N B?) still managed to rate; the commercial load did not go down. I guess I owe a lot to Mano Po because my performance did a lot also to change public perception. In our country, an award is an award is an award! And if you’re part of a number one movie, parang, ‘We forgive’.

"I have spent more years of my life in the public eye than I have not in the public eye – 20 years since I was 12. I literally have grown up in front of everybody so it’s okay, hindi sila (controversies) talaga problema sa akin.

"This year, I was given affirmation so I realized I just (needed to) keep doing my job well. You can never separate your public life from your private life if you’re this public, but just don’t ram it down people’s throats. If I’m asked (a question), I answer, but I will not volunteer it."

Over lunch with Allure, Kris shares her views on love, looks and relationships.

Excerpts:

Visibly slimmer

"How did I lose 15 lbs.? Since I got sick end of November (last year) until the second week of December, I have kept the weight off. Maybe because I was very busy shooting January and February, and because of live Morning Girls everyday.

"I have coffee and a sandwich for breakfast, light lunch and light dinner. I have a lot of fresh fruit juice and drink lots of water. I eat what I want but my appetite has really diminished.

We are family

"The Aquinos are a family of achievers while the Cojuangcos are academically-oriented. My older sisters were valedictorian, salutatorian, honor (students). When I didn’t have honors in prep and kinder, big deal ’yon! When I finally became an honor student in grade one, tuwang tuwa ako.

"In grade three, I was coached by my dad while he was in jail for an English declamation contest. When I lost, I didn’t know how to face him! Winning was important to him because he was a winner all his life; he won in whatever he got in – mayor, governor, senator...

Cory’s baby

"When Nicole (Kidman) won her Oscar, she said ‘This is for my mom because all my life, I wanted her to be proud of me, and for my daughter because I want you to be proud of me’. Which is exactly how I feel about my life, my work. I want my mom and Josh to be proud of me.

"What’s nice about my mom is that she doesn’t go back to the past; we really move forward. What’s great about her is she never condemns me.

"There was one time Josh and my mom went to the one who blessed Erap (Sister Gloria, who heals people by dousing water on them–Ed.) and the yaya said I had not given her money to pay for Joshua’s speech fee. I told my mom, ‘Di ako nakapagdala ng cash,’ and she told Josh, ‘Ang yaman yaman ng mom mo pero parating walang pera!’ (laughs) When Josh is there, all I have to do is deposit him and wala na akong gagawin. I have a really mabait mom.

A father image, perhaps?

"I was asked a few days ago, ‘Do you think until now naghahanap ka ng tatay?’ I said, ‘I am drawn to people who are more mature and older because I’m the youngest and from an early age I was always with my mom and she would discuss things with the lawyers.’ I grew up in a world of adults. I’m more comfortable in the company of people who are older. Pero kung naghahanap ako ng tatay, I said, ‘I don’t think anybody can fill the shoes of my dad’. And even before, when asked who I loved more, my mom or my dad, without batting an eyelash I would say, my mom. I’m really a mom’s girl!

"(Would my dad have raised a racket over my love life?) Yes. But no, that does not play into my consciousness now. Because I’m not a bad person. I think my dad – more than anybody else – would respect what I have achieved. Even more than my mom being proud of me, everything I have now, it would be my dad basking in the glory of it all. Kasi my dad would have been the consummate stage father. Talaga, I swear!

To whom much is given...

"(Am I the highest paid TV host?) Let’s check with the BIR. If you’re basing it on BIR records, maybe I’m just the most honest. I have no right to be dishonest or my dad will turn over in his grave! I have never cheated. My mom said, ‘Kris it’s your honor to be in the top tax bracket because you owe it to the people to give it (blessings) back.’ So I told her, ‘Mom, I really hope it goes back to the people’! (laughs) When I see fly-overs or things like that, ang feeling ko, may nagawa ako.

"Everytime I have a new project, I would promise to give to Give a Life in PGH. The medical services for the patients there are free but not the operations and other medical expenses. For this year, naka-three times na akong nagbigay. (I consider) health care important because Josh was operated on when he accidentally got ran over by our car and also because of my own precarious health. I know how much my poor mother had to spend when I got sick from China!

Coping with ADHD

"Yes, Josh has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He has improved a lot. He has speech therapy twice a week, occupational therapy and SPED (one-on-one tutorials). He has a special teacher to teach him to swim. Kaya kailangan work to death si mommy! Because Josh really likes music and his special gift may be there, his teacher recommended music lessons. That will come after the swimming lessons.

"Josh is seven years old and 12 lbs. overweight (he is 127 lbs). He is with his dad because it’s summer and his dad has a pool in his condo. Pag nasa dad niya, nadi-discipline. He’s more active there so he doesn’t get as fat. And mas behaved. Yaya Ana, who has been with us since Josh was seven months in my tummy, says, ‘Alam n’yo ho Ma’m, pag kay Dada (how Josh calls Philip) kami, super-behave si Josh, sumusunod. ’ That’s good na may kinakatakutan. With Josh it’s difficult because even if he wants to sit still, he cannot; he just keeps running around and everything.

"Yung sessions nila na one-on-one, dun na-impress ang mommy ko. There’s a massage technique to relax him. She was amazed because 45 minutes umupo at nakinig at gumawa ng activities si Josh. Every little improvement he makes, matutuwa ka.

"Pag tuloy-tuloy ang out-of-town shooting, Josh stays with my mom. When I tell him, ‘Josh, Mama’s so tired’, sasabihin niya (mimicking me) ‘Taping ako kaya pagod!’ Gagayahin niya ko, ‘Behave na, Mama is tired!’

"I’m so lucky because of Philippine Montessori in White Plains which Josh has attended since he was two. The teachers are really patient with him, the kids are so used to him. The kids really treat him well and are so nurturing toward him. It helps because they don’t make fun of him, they don’t laugh at him, they encourage him. Because he’s impressionable now, if the kids show aggressive behavior, baka gayahin niya.

"What is God’s special purpose in giving me my son? I think it makes me appreciate everything that came easy to me so much more now. It would have been so much worse kung hindi modern ngayon, na alam mong you can get the right therapy. Siguro, kung financially strapped ako, it would kill me because I would not be able to afford. What if something great came along from the US, like an offer for a show or a one-year thing, would I grab it? If I could audition for something like that, would I give up everything here to go there? Readily I could because I could get the best therapy for Josh there.

Hoping for love

"Before I’m 35, I would want to be married talaga. I’m 32, so in the next three years I would hope to be married. I’m not saying I will be married, I hope to be married.

"More than anything else, I would want him to be somebody comfortable with who I am – and that would take a lot! Somebody who would not just accept me but nurture me. It’s very important for me to be impressed by him, by his achievements. Maybe I should be honest enough to say he should have come far in life. And I would really hope that he did it on his own.

"It’s important that at the end of the day, mayroon kang kakwentuhan. Somebody you can share what happened to you with. And he won’t only understand, he’ll have a clear perspective. Ayoko ng quiet (type). Good conversation kasi ang pinaka-importante.

"I used to have this list that (my ideal man) should have all these but I realized tama na yung list na yan, hindi naman matutupad yan. So, whatever will come – somebody who I would know is for me. Kasi you would just know naman talaga. It’s unexplainable. If he comes, I’ll know. Or if it’s there, it will last.

"Realistically speaking, I would hope that my dreams would enhance his. I hope that what I do on a day-to-day basis would enhance what he would want to achieve. We could be in a similar field like communications or whatever or he can be in politics and I could also be helpful to him. Let’s be honest! Or he can buy me a (TV) station (laughs).

"When I get married I would like to do what Sharon (Cuneta) was able to do and just release a photo after. Because you cannot go halfway; it’s impossible unless I’m willing to give five-day coverage of the wedding and invite the entire Philippines to it, huwag na lang, quiet na lang until uy, kinasal na ’ko! Unless you go the route of Charlene and Aga (Muhlach) and Richard and Lucy (Gomez), walang semi-private. Dapat super-duper quiet.

"I would be willing to give it all up (for marriage) if his dreams are greater than mine. If they’re more attainable than mine, I would gladly forego mine or submit mine to his. But if my dreams are more achievable than his, maybe I should be allowed to achieve my dreams."

E-mail the author at: annmondo@yahoo.com