MANILA, Philippines- James Yap admits that James “Bimby” Yap Jr., his son with Kris Aquino, is not his only child.
During his interview with Anthony Taberna on “Tapatan Ni Tunying,” Thursday, James said that he has an older child with one of his ex-girlfriends, but refused to divulge whether the child is a girl or a boy.
“Mayro'n, mayro'n,” he replied when asked if he has another child besides Bimby. “Pero kinausap ko naman 'yong mommy, okay naman 'yong usapan namin. Mayro'n kaaming pinag-usapan na... 'wag muna, at saka na lang kapag malalaki [na ang mga bata].”
He then thanked his ex-girlfriend for keeping mum despite all the controversies that he had to deal with in the past with his ex-wife Kris.
“Actually gusto ko magppasalamat sa ex ko dati na kung anuman ang pinagdaanan ko hindi siya nakisawsaw o nakialam, siniraan ako,” he said.
James adds that he's happy to bond with Bimby further and they're starting to build a better relationship.
“Dati no'ng every Friday na 'yong schedule ko, unang kita namin talagang may ilangan. Ang hirap,” he admitted. “At least ngayon nakikipaglaro na.”
When they bond, one of the things they do is pllay basketball, but James said he wants Bimby to choose his own career path.
“Sa ngayon masasabi ko hindi, e,” he replied when asked if he sees Bimby interested in basketball. “Kasi sinabi ko ako seven years old nag-start, si Bimby ngayon seven. So hindi pa naman late kung maag-artista siya o mag-[basketball payer] siya. Support lang talaga.”
New Inspiration
Meanwhile, James was also asked about his Italian girlfriend Michela Cazzola, whom he met through a friend.
Michela was also interviewed and said that what she likes the most about James is that “he's very polite with me, respectful, very soft-spoken. He's sweet and even when he's so tired and busy he goes to me. He does a lot of effort, a lot of his time to dedicate to me and that I appreciate so much.”
She also sees James as her “best friend” since they get along about many things including their love for food.
James is thankful that Michela accepted everything about him, despite many issues that he faced. “Bago ako pumasok sa buhay niya siyempre nakalatag lahat. At least naintindihan niya,” he said.
When asked about their plans of settling down, James said they don't want to rush their decision.
“Ang pagapakasal kasi nandyan lang 'yan, hindi nawawala 'yan,” he said. “Hinay-hinay lang, darating 'yong time na maiisip mo, 'okay, sige [ready na ako].'”
“That's why our relationship [works]. We don't look at the end,,” Michela added.
Although he's very successful with his career as a professional basketball player, James sees himself staying in the game for “six more years.”
He said he also dreams of becoming a coach but not in the PBA or even the UAAP.
“Gusto ko mag-coach sa high school para ma-share ko 'yong experience [ko],” he said. “Kasi 'di ba, iba 'yong feeling kapag nakatulonng sa mga bata tapos makikita mo sila nasa PBA.”
His piece of advice for aspiring basketball players? “Hanggang may goal ka siyempre hindi mo talaga kalimutan humingi ng tulong sa taas, mag-pray ka.
“At saka siyempre 'yong dedication, kailangan mag-practice ka nang mabuti, 'wag ka mawalan ng pag-asa. May time na madismaya ka, okay lang, kailangan talaga pursigido ka.”