10 things you should know about Kris Aquino

MANILA, Philippines - Much has been said about Kris Aquino. Too much, in fact.

So why write about her? Because whether you like her or not, we are all curious about Kris Aquino. Whether she gives her opinion or chooses to be quiet, we have something to say about her. When she got married, she was judged. When she became single, she was judged. When she was linked to different men, she was judged. That kind of a life can’t be easy! She is aware that people either love her or hate her. But in her opinion, that is what makes a star. If you love her, I hope you enjoy what you are about to read. If you’re one of those who hate her, I hope this helps you see her in a different light. I present to you the 10 things that I feel, people should know about Kris Aquino.

1. In the history of Philippine television, along with the Pacquiao fights, the finale of Taiwanese series Meteor Garden and Philippine drama Pangako Sa Yo, among others, Kris Aquino is one of the highest raters ever.

Her first-ever TV appearance was on the show See True of Inday Badiday when she was only 14 years old, and rumor has it that that particular episode rated above 70. (Today, the highest TV ratings are in the 30s.) “I think, put me, Boy (Abunda), Butch Francisco, Joey de Leon, Mel Tiangco, Korina (Sanchez), lahat. Put all of us together, equals Inday Badiday. She was that huge,” Kris declares. “And at that time, I guess there was this curiosity about who I was,” she adds.

Another Kris-related top-rater was her exclusive one-on-one tell-all with good friend and TV Patrol anchor Korina Sanchez back in 2003, where Kris opened up about her fear for her life, a sexually transmitted disease, and violent end to her relationship with Joey Marquez. This episode reportedly garnered above 40 ratings, an exceptionally high number for a newscast. To this, Kris reacts, “Maybe because talagang...” she pauses lengthily, then says, “I’m unique.”

2. Kris is one of the most generous

Kris Aquino and Bimby: One thing people probably didn’t know about Kris is that the money Bimby makes from endorsements she matches from her own earnings for older son Josh. That was her mom Cory Aquino’s advice.

people ever. Seriously. She once gave best friend Boy Abunda an Hermes bag that cost P800,000.

But be clear on the fact that she does not do this to flaunt. Everyone who knows her can attest to that. “What people don’t know is that Boy doesn’t make singil a single centavo from Bimby’s earnings. So the things that I know he really wants but would never buy for himself, when I can get it, I will, because it is a way to express my thanks,” Kris shares.

She once gave a common good friend of ours, top stylist Liz Uy, a whole “lifestyle showcase” for Christmas, but Liz explains, “she may give all these material things, but more than that, it always comes with the most heartfelt handwritten note, and that is what means the most.” Also, 10 percent of all her endorsement talent fees go straight to charity. As to where all this generosity comes from, Kris answers, “I grew up surrounded by generosity, and I guess that’s why I really pay it forward.”

3. Kris Aquino in numbers:

22 — years in the industry

203 — millions of pesos that her movie Sukob made in the box office, making it the second highest grossing Filipino film of all time (next to You Changed My Life, which made P215 million).

8 — hours of sleep she gets every day. She is asleep by 10:30 p.m. and is up by 6:30 a.m. But when she is shooting for her movie, she tries to sleep 12 to 14 hours. She doesn’t scrimp on sleep and can sleep anywhere.

5 — liters of water a day Kris drinks. Liters, not glasses.

4 — number of PSGs that escort her daily, one of whom is always a girl.

14 — total number of household staff.

She refused to give an estimate on the number of pairs of shoes she has because she jokingly said her sisters would get mad at her! But of all fashion-related items, she loves shoes the most.

4. The most valuable piece of advice that her mom, the late, great Cory Aquino, gave her about being a mom, which she holds dearest to her is that “the kids have to come first.”

Kris recalls, “My mom would always tell me na ‘lugi si Josh because you were establishing yourself and you had to say yes to everything.’ Then when Bimby was born and sunud-sunod na the endorsements, she said, ‘Learn to say no to some of the work para you’ll have time for them.’” As she grew older, and with constant reminders from her mom, Kris learned how to “slow down” and make more time for her kids. And I must say, of the times I’ve talked to or interviewed Kris, out of all of the topics, she lights up most when it’s about Josh and Baby James.

5. Both Josh and Baby James are pretty much set for college and beyond, and that’s their own money paying for it through investments made by Kris for them.

Kris explains that the first endorsement Baby James got was a major contract with Pampers, and that money was used to pay the lump sum of an educational fund that covers tuition fees all the way till college. All other endorsements of Baby James after that (and that’s quite a lot for a four-year-old!) went to further investments like real estate. Kris’s mom was very strict about saving for Josh’s future. (Josh is now 16 years old.) Kris remembers her mom telling her, “When you’re not around, he really has to be comfortable and well taken care of.” So her mom advised her, “Kung anong kinikita ni Bimby, you match it. From what you are earning, set that aside as savings for Josh.” All investments she made for her kids are income-generating.

6. Kris is known for giving life and love advice, but the one piece of advice her siblings collectively always give her is “Don’t ever get married again.”

Kris says this laughing, though! She shares that every time her eldest sister Ballsy hears that somebody new is linked to her, Ballsy would tell Kris, “You know all those texts when you were bagong hiwalay and you said ‘Ate, never again,’ I saved it to show it to you.”

7. Kris’s current state of mind on the possibility of finding love again: “If it doesn’t happen, I’m fine.”

“Ask me again two years from now, I don’t know,” Kris adds.

On the topic of Makati Mayor Jun Jun Binay, Kris says, “I promised him I would never talk about him anymore (to media), so we don’t feel uncomfortable around each other.”

8. Kris on love: “The only way it can work is if I’m no longer Kris.”

I asked her, it is actually possible that if she meets the right man and she falls madly in love with him, that she will leave her career for love? She answers, “If he comes, and I know that I have that comfortable figure financially in my head for my children, it will be a voluntary decision, yes.

“It’s the only way. I didn’t fail in this career because I’ve given it my all. So, I want to give that my all,” Kris opens up.

9. Of all the questions in this interview, Kris took the longest pause before answering if she believed in the concept of that “one great love.” After the pause, she answered that it’s James.

“Honest to God, now that I look back at everything, I realize despite everything James and I went through, I wanted it to work,” Kris says on a more serious note. With everything that happened and as she looks back, Kris says she has no regrets. She saw it through and tried, and James did as well.

That phase of her life was the only time she wished she wasn’t living under the spotlight. She shares, “I never wished to not be me, but when James and I were just so unhappy, and we were not allowed to show how unhappy we were, dun ko wi-nish na sana we were ordinary because (if we were]) we might’ve worked through the problem.”

“So if it’s a question of who was the one great love of my life, it’s him. It’s just that he was too young, I was too idealistic. And my world was just so alien to him,” Kris explains.

“Maybe I’m saying that because I’m so in love with Bimby,” Kris adds. She can’t stress enough how her greatest source of joy in life is Baby James and Josh.

10. Kris believes that the good in her life far outweighs whatever the haters have to say.

Kris recognizes that in every industry, people will say nasty things about other people if they want to. It just so happens that in the entertainment industry, the circle is much bigger. Her good friend comedian Vice Ganda even jokes with her, “Kaya tayo magkasundo kasi pareho tayo, may mga taong bwisit na bwisit sa pagmumukha natin.” At the end of the day, for Kris, as long as the people closest to her, those who work with her, those who see her every day, hold her in the highest esteem, then she knows she is doing a good job.

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I asked Kris to rate the President, her brother Noynoy Aquino, on a scale of 1 to 10. She jokingly said that if she didn’t say 10, she’d be the worst sister in the world, but if she did say 10, people would say she’s biased. Lose-lose situation as they say. Much as I tried to get an answer, I understood that that was her answer.

We can all say a lot about Kris Aquino, but one thing that can’t be questioned is her loyalty. “Fiercely loyal” is a term many people use to describe her. Loyal to family, partners, friends, to her faith, to our country, and even to her endorsements. As a friend, co-worker, and fan of Ate Kris, I have learned from her that even the best of us make mistakes. But it is how you learn from it and how you pick yourself up after that matters in the end. Ate Kris is probably one of the most judged, most scrutinized, most controversial people in the country, but despite all that, she’s still on top. It is human nature to pass judgment on others, but hopefully through this humble beginner’s column of mine, together, we all get to know more people a little more, and learn what it is we can learn from their lives. 

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