THE so-called “Queen of All Media,” actress and TV host Kris Aquino, has confirmed that the man behind her mysterious birthday greeting post uploaded Wednesday on Instagram is former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Mel Sarmiento.
Following several speculations about her rumored special someone, Aquino finally replied to a netizen’s query, unveiling his romance with the former DILG chief.
“Nag reply sya using my IG sa isang troll yesterday- so it’s not really a secret.”
On August 11, Aquino left a cryptic birthday message for someone whose existence in her life is something she is grateful for.
“Thank you for coming into my life… Happy birthday!” the actress wrote.
Aquino admitted that she thought long and hard before uploading her message knowing that it could create public assumptions. However, the mystery man has given him emotional support that she could no longer afford to keep herself from posting.
“He really did come when my grief was unbearable; he continues to give me unselfish support & comfort; he’s been around for all my ups and downs, health woes, and tears- plus bimb likes him… most of all he makes me feel taken care of, secure and safe,” Aquino expressed in her caption.
Guessing names had never been so fun until netizens flocked under the post to point out Aquino’s close friends in jest.
While fellow public figures like Angel Locsin and DJ Cha Cha have also shared their support, Aquino still did not miss to receive hateful comments from a user who called her narcissistic.
“Ghorl (Kris Aquino) Kung gusto mo talaga na private ang buhay mo. Wag kana mag post ng Ganito narcissistic ka din e. Kawawa naman ang dating DILG secretary sayo be fair. (If you really want to keep your life private, do not post anymore. Aren’t you narcissistic? Be fair with the former DILG secretary.) Please abolish you’re social media account. Please lang day! Baka malasin pa,” the netizen wrote.
Aquino, who is known to be straightforward, did not let it slip and fought back, saying she did not mention names and that the user should spread positivity instead.
“Mas mamalasin tayo kung puro ka negahan like your attitude instead of positivity and #lovelovelove. We live in a democracy and wala akong masamang pi-nost,” she emphasized.
The exchange of words, however, did not end there as the netizen replied back, suggesting that the actress could have had greeted Sarmiento in private.
Having enough of the argument, Sarmiento came into light to defend Aquino which finally discloses the anonymous man the actress treated as special.
“@mynameisaxell hiniram ko yung phone ni Kris – ewan ko kung nakatrabaho kita sa DILG sa laki ng department mahirap maalalala ang lahat. Wag naman masamain kung nag greet nga sa ‘kin, ba’t naman napunta na sa malas? Eh napasaya nga nya ko- kung tutuusin napaka swerte ko. Kung nag sama nga tayo sa department na minahal ko, konting respeto naman sa min ni Kris. – Mel Senen Sarmiento,” the former DILG secretary retorted.
Netizens believe that what Sarmiento did was a sweet gesture and gentle reminder that no one should mess up with their intimate relationship.
A day after, the actress took to Instagram to upload again a photo of his youngest son, Bimby, with a bouquet of flowers, saying her son apparently approves her romance with Sarmiento.
“Thank you (Mel Sarmiento) for wanting me to be happy, this time i feel even Noy in heaven will finally approve, siguro naman because we’d never have met had it not been for him,” Aquino added in her caption.
Sarmiento was then the DILG secretary under the administration of the late President Noynoy Aquino, Kris’ only brother.