Untold Pinoy Story No. 5

This Child of

She was born on the day of hearts, February 14. But her parents did not name her Valentina. Not even Venus or Aphrodite. They opted for the holy-sounding Kristina Bernadette. But she did not turn out to be a saint.

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Being the youngest, Kristina Bernadette captured the heart of her father. Father and daughter were inseparable. Until tragedy struck. Kristina Bernadette’s father was sent to prison. His heart ailment grew worse there.

On February 14, 1974, Valentine's Day, Kristina Bernadette celebrated her third birthday with her father in prison. On the same day, a man was exchanging hearts with a southern belle in nearby San Juan church.

Nine years later, on August 21, the man who got married in San Juan church was celebrating his birthday with his basketball buddies. On the same day, Kristina Bernadette’s father was killed.

Kristina Bernadette and the married man never knew each other. They lived very different lives. But in 1994, Kristina Bernadette and the married man met at work. Their first meeting blossomed into deep friendship. Some said that she longed for a father figure. But the friendship blossomed into romance which went beyond control. Kristina Bernadette used her heart, not her head. She decided to live with the married man.

Kristina Bernadette’s mother was furious at the relationship. How could Kristina Bernadette’s mother like a man who celebrates his birthday every year on the death anniversary of her murdered husband? But more than this was the fact that the man's heart already belonged to someone else. In fact, he has a grown-up daughter in New York who was nearly Kristina Bernadette’s age. Despite her religious mother’s efforts to put an end to Kristina Bernadette’s adulterous affair with the man, Kristina Bernadette had her way. It didn’t matter to Kristina Bernadette that her decision prevented her from receiving church communion because she was openly living in sin.

It did not take long before Kristina Bernadette gave birth to her love child who was the spitting image of her live-in partner. But Kristina Bernadette’s son was born with Attention Deficit Hyper-Activity Disorder. Her son’s birth softened the heart of Kristina Bernadette’s mother who announced that Kristina Bernadette’s son was her favorite grandson. When Kristina Bernadette first planned to have a liposuction, her mother tried to stop her, warning Kristina Bernadette that she (the mother) was too old to take care of Kristina Bernadette’s son if something happened to her during her surgery. But as in the past, Kristina Bernadette had her way. She went on with her liposuction.

But Kristina Bernadette’s relationship with her live-in partner was not meant to last. In her Ateneo accent, Kristina Bernadette would always correct her live-in partner's grammatical lapses. Her live-in partner also got annoyed whenever Kristina Bernadette would hand him a stick of Milagrosa candle every time he used the bathroom. According to Kristina Bernadette, the candle helped drive away the stinking smell of her live-in partner's crap. Kristina Bernadette confessed that she learned this trick from her mother. And when Kristina Bernadette's live-in partner stopped pursuing his petition for the annulment of his first marriage in San Juan church, Kristina Bernadette began to express doubt about her live-in partner’s sincerity in marrying her. Kristina Bernadette's heart was hurt. Their relationship turned for the worse.

Kristina Bernadette finally realized that her live-in partner could never be her savior. She decided to leave the father of her son and her live-in partner for many years: Philip Salvador.

Yes, Kristina Bernadette is the youngest daughter of President Corazon (means heart in Spanish) Aquino and the late Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr.

And yes, Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino is the full name of Kris Aquino.

And everyone knows the heart of her story.

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Images from en.wikipedia.org, lecreuset.com

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NEXT: When the Movie Queen's Alalay Becomes More Famous Than the Movie Queen