PEOPLE ASIA: KRIS AQUINO - A NEW CHAPTER, A FRESH START
MANILA, APRIL 22, 2011 (STAR) By Bum Tenorio Jr. (People Asia) - In an intimate post-Christmas dinner at her home, Kris Aquino, with candid sincerity, displayed to this writer and her three other guests what honesty and integrity is all about.
Her secretary went up to her to show a billing statement from the designers who make the suits and barongs of her brother Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, the 15th president of the Republic of the Philippines. She asked for her checkbook. Without a word, she smiled as she signed the checks, perhaps because she was happy the designers only charged her almost at cost.
It was while she was tearing off the checks that one guest innocently asked her, "Since your brother is President, can't the government pay for his clothes?"
Kris, who says she has been sponsoring the clothes of her only brother since he was a Senator, was quick to answer: "Ay no! We are not a rich country. If the government pays for that, we will become poorer. Ako na lamang ang magbabayad kesa maging sagutin pa ng gobyerno ang mga barong ni Noy. (I'll just be the one to pay instead of having the government shoulder Noy's formal clothes.)"
It was a simple, direct answer that revealed Kris' honesty and the integrity of her brother's governance. Honesty and integrity is the Aquino bloodtype.
The scene I mentioned also shows the recesses of Kris' heart: she is a joyful giver.
"Mom taught us how to take care of the people close to us and the family," she says. So, for Kris, taking care of P-Noy and his sartorial needs is an act borne by her sincerity to be of help.
"When Mom died, we siblings needed to be there 100 percent for each other the way our Mom was for us. We found our strength, resolve and unity strengthened by our profound loss," relates Kris, the youngest daughter of the late democracy icons, former President Cory Aquino and Sen. Ninoy Aquino.
It was a new beginning of sorts for Kris and her entire family when Cory Aquino died of colon cancer on Aug. 1, 2009. They didn't know that another new beginning was about to unfold when Noynoy decided to run for the presidency and won the sweeping mandate of the people.
"It was a struggle — a supreme test of our resiliency as a family when Noy ran. We only had each other to lean on during the worst attacks on Noy and our family. In the same vein, we also know that on June 30, 2016, when Noy is no longer President, we'll still have each other," Kris says.
Sibling revelry
As Kris reveals, her acts of generosity for her brother do not guarantee that P-Noy will spare her from his "lectures." Of late, she got a six-link lecture through text via i-Phone when she mentioned in an interview that she was ready to fall in love again this year. She and her husband James Yap had called it quits last year even before the Presidential inauguration.
"Ay naku, ang haba ng lecture ni Noy sa akin. Sunod-sunod ang text niya like: 'You're not getting any younger. Don't be impulsive. Think of your children. Whatever you get yourself into, the whole family also gets involved into it so please naman don't be selfish and impulsive'," she recalls with a crispy laugh.
So how did she answer the text of the President? "I just said: Okay," Kris says while shrugging her shoulders. As for Noy's personal life, Kris recalls that her brother cautioned her: "Do not disturb. You promised me already that no public declarations about my love life. So, please, stick to that promise or else I will be severely disappointed."
So Kris said, again, "Okay."
Her sisters Ballsy, Pinky and Viel also requested her not to talk about her love life in public "because they get stressed when I talk about it." They also asked Kris that if ever she finds a guy, "Pwede bang huwag ka munang ikasal para walang stress?" To which Kris answered them with a hearty laugh: "Mahirap yan. What if mayrong destiny akong makilala?"
But is she really ready to fall in love again? "I will be ready when my siblings are ready." Then she lets go of that infectious laughter again.
"Even if I'm turning 40 (on Feb. 14), my siblings are really under the impression that I'm a child. So, I'm forever gonna be their baby."
A heart at peace
Kris, who is not alien to intrigues because she belongs to showbizlandia, says she is at peace. She is also very happy. The recent cause of her happiness was the success at the tills of her movie Dalaw where Kris proves that she is both a bankable and competent actor and the country's reigning "Horror Queen." As of this writing, Dalaw, which she co-produced with Star Cinema for the Metro Manila Film Festival last December, has already surpassed the P100-million tab.
Kris' supremacy on the airwaves has even become more palpable with her show The Price Is Right and the imminent resurgence this year of her former shows Pilipinas Got Talent and Deal or No Deal. Market studies disclose that Kris Aquino is the Midas of the advertising world. Whatever she endorses will surely turn in a golden profit.
Kris knows how to give back. Her heart and mind subscribe to the edict that to whom much is given, much is expected in return. She says she is very blessed to be able to share with our countrymen via financial support of scholarship programs, health care initiatives, distribution of school supplies, and helping less fortunate parishes. "On a one-on-one level, when I visit sick or physically disabled individuals, (like Jessie Asiñero who I visited upon the initiative of Failon Ngayon and I saw how much joy I brought to her and her family), I truly appreciate where God has placed me now. Mom believed so much in making a personal effort to those suffering or in need and I take my inspiration from her life," Kris adds.
But more than the shows she stars in and the giving-back she takes to her heart, what brings more peace and happiness to Kris is the fact that she and James Yap are at peace now.
"James and I are peaceful now. We know Bimby is very happy that we are friendly. I like being a single mom — maybe I can say that because I can give my sons comfortable lives and good education. I also say that because James and I are better off apart — no more endless fights, no more misunderstandings, and no more bitterness," she says. She adds that her hopes for this year include "to be free, to be legally free."
"A new beginning is something God's goodness and love allow us to have, but I believe we must be at peace with our past in order to have a genuine new beginning," says Kris who begins her day by taking two cups of coffee while sending an inspirational text message to about 300 of her family and friends. The text message can either be a Biblical passage or an inspiring quote from the book she is currently reading.
Her plans — for politics, for her kids
Industry observers say that Kris will run either as governor of Tarlac or senator after the term of P-Noy.
"Political plans will depend much on the needs of my sons and the stability of my home. I know that I can be the best public servant only if I'm sure that the people closest to me feel my love, caring and are secure emotionally and financially," she says.
She adds: "My sons are my priority."
She says Joshua, 15, and being a special child, has different needs. "I just am thankful that (my sister) Pinky got Josh a life coach. Kasi, di ba, for Josh, it takes a village (to attend to his special needs). I feel very blessed that my siblings are all involved because they all promised Mom that they would take care of Josh," Kris informs.
Kris is also grateful that this early, three-year-old Bimby is showing some signs that he will be responsible for his Kuya's needs. She shares that Josh, who is computer literate, excels in music and he also loves to bake. So, Kris is hopeful that Joshua's coach will be able to unleash further from him the traits that will prepare him better for the future. (She adds that the last student with special needs that the coach handled is now an entrepreneur.)
As for Bimby, Kris says, "I have no doubt he will become an entertainer. He really loves it. He's the little boy version of me." She's thrilled to find out that Bimby wants to become either a "singer, a break dancer or a star." Bimby, in December last year, received the Most Favorite Child Personality award at the 1st Lingkod TV Awards.
Kris proudly says: "According to his teachers, Bimby exhibits good hand-and-eye coordination and balance. Early on he's showing signs of athletic prowess na obviously wala sa Aquino side. The teachers also said that Bimby is very articulate. He has a retentive memory and very good storytelling skills. He has very good social skills and is polite."
A nerd at heart
Kris is indeed a ball of fire. Like an Energizer Bunny, she does not run out of energy. Unlike others who only have the gift of gab, Kris couples hers with the gift of intellect and the innate effort to substantiate her knowledge with the books that she reads. "I read about 10 books a month," she says. On top of that she voraciously devours magazines.
"I love to read fiction, biographies, autobiographies and memoirs," she says. At the time of the interview, she and her best friend Boy Abunda had just started reading Nelson Mandela's Conversations with Myself. She had just finished reading the inspirational The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren.
She says her mom read to her all the fairy tales when she was a kid. But she read on her own at the age of six. She read all the Nancy Drew books when she was a kid. When they went to the States, she read other children's books including the ones written by Judy Blume.
"I really, really love to read. I am a nerd at heart," she ends.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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