Kris Aquino came out swinging against The Philippine Star entertainment editor Ricky Lo after the latter wrote a story about the her son Bimby being “a no show” at the first birthday party of his half-brother MJ last Saturday, August 12.
“@therealrickylo won’t man up & admit his Monday @philstarnews headline had no factual basis,” the TV host posted on Instagram today.
Kris’s statement came after her disappointment over Lo’s column on August 15 titled “Bimby no-show at MJ’s party.”
MJ is the son of James Yap, Kris’s ex-husband, with his Italian girlfriend Michela Cazzola.
Lo has written a follow-up article today saying that he received a “mouthful” from Cazzola, who clarified that she had set a prior agreement with Kris that the kids are comfortable if they meet in private rather than at a party.
Lo also hinted that Cazzola was angry at how his article may have sparked unwanted rumors about her and Kris’s unusual family set-up.
Kris was reminded by Lo at the end of his article to refrain from posting Instagram pictures of her children if she doesn’t want them exposed to “harm’s way.”
“A word for Kris and other showbiz denizens who can’t help decorating the social media with posts of their children. Before Kris and other soc-med savvy moms scold people and remind them to please spare the innocents, they should be the first to spare their children by keeping them away from the social media. Otherwise, they themselves are (maybe unwittingly) putting their children in, well, “harm’s way”,” Lo wrote.
On the other hand, in the continuation of her Instagram post today, the ‘Queen of all Media’ accused the veteran columnist of “deflecting the issue”.
“Can you fault any mother or father, whether celebrity or non celeb for being proud of their children & wanting to share their love & pride w/ their circle- in our case it’s a much bigger circle?… Simpleng tanong, may connection ba ang IG pictures namin nila Kuya Josh & Bimb sa Birthday ni MJ? … Or is this a case of trying to deflect an issue by pinning the blame at someone who tried her best to keep quiet for the sake of peace?,” Kris posted.
“Harm only comes our children’s way when there are exploitative, unverified headlines… And everybody who has bashed Kuya Josh or Bimb on IG has tasted the fire of my words in defending them- expressed w/ dignity & based on facts because i was raised to remain polite even when dealing w/ pambabastos…,” Kris added.
Kris also slammed Ricky for implying that the whole mix-up may have motivated the “proverbial hornet’s nest.”
Kris said she will not cover up James’s “shortcomings” as a father this time around.
“Your article pointed out a hornet’s nest, I’d like to believe you & Star readers are intelligent… Isn’t it telling that Mic & I have communication, i like & respect her, while James & Bimb don’t keep in touch?… The 2 moms have tried our best to keep this fact private for the sake of our 2 boys- BUT why protect someone who didn’t tell the truth?,” Kris said. “Mic told him Bimb’s decision w/c i fully supported for my sons to not attend the party but have a get together privately in Mic’s new place or our new home… 35 yrs old na si James, I won’t cover up for his shortcomings…I don’t need to say more- because my sons know how much their mom loves them & for me that’s my priority.”
“I agree though i spent a sleepless night thinking very carefully about the proper amount of exposure i should share about our family life- especially because I’m only now confronting this…Kuya Josh is a special child & God shielded him from being cognizant of some of the cruelty thrown our way- but Bimb is intelligent, innately curious and even more articulate than his mother…And 10-14 years old are crucial years in his intellectual, emotional & psychological development…Special thanks to Miguel Belmonte for keeping communication lines open & understanding my sentiments as a mother…Tito Ricky, BINILIN ako ni auntie Betty Go Belmonte sa yo, sana mabalik ang respeto at pagmamahal,” Kris added.