MANILA – Former TV host Kris Aquino is proud of her youngest son Bimby, who has started “rebuilding his relationship” with his father, basketball player James Yap.

In an Instagram post, Aquino said she was glad that Bimby made the move on Father’s Day over the weekend.

“Yesterday [on] Father’s Day, my bunso made me proud. He’s had the number to contact for almost a week, and the reluctance was so real, yet he took the first step towards rebuilding a relationship that I know will require some time to repair. Pero ang mahalaga ay nagsimula na,” she said in the caption.

While she did not mention any names, Aquino told the public that “it will be easy for you to figure out.”

She went on to stress that she knows how it feels to not be with a father, and that she would not make Bimby go through the same thing.

“Ayokong masabi na pinipigilan ko si Bimb… my own childhood was fatherless because of Martial Law, so why’d I subject my bunso to the same fate?” she said.

“From the time Bimb was 8, he had the freedom to decide… Now at 16 I told him, ‘When someone reaches out after 7 years, and there’s a chance for peace, then everyone wins,’” she added.

Aquino and Yap had a civil wedding in 2005, and welcomed Bimby two years later.

They separated in 2010, and their marriage was annulled in 2012.

• ‘I wanted it to work’: Kris gets honest about James Yap in heart-to-heart with Bimby

Meanwhile, Aquino also clarified his relationship with Batangas vice governor Mark Leviste in her post.

She pointed out how someone “spoke about what’s supposed to be his ‘taking care of me in LA’ plus ‘our happy and full of love relationship’” without her knowledge or consent.

“Yet just like any new relationship many couples will easily identify, we are still adjusting to each other’s already set habits and ways,” she said. “Recently there have been unavoidable conflicts. I don’t believe in presenting a happy picture when that’s not quite our current reality.”

“I’m hopeful we can still work through our differences, though a part of me realizes the lack of wisdom in embarking on a relationship while undergoing treatment,” she added.