All’s well that ends well, I suppose. A chirpy Kris Aquino told the GMA News program Saksi last night that she and James have gotten back together. “Magkasama naman kami ngayon, kaya lang, pina-punish ko pa siya ng konti,” Kris said. She said she decided to get back together because the kids had been looking for James, and added that she has also mended fences with the family of Mayen Austria.



Uh-huh.

Anyway, hopefully this is the last blog post I’ll be making on this matter, but while we’re here, let me share this piece by Patricia Bermudez-Hizon, who had perhaps the best take on the situation in her latest column. She has a singular perspective on the issue because she’s married to Vince Hizon, the PBA’s erstwhile crown prince who was every bit as popular as James Yap in his heyday.

Someone asked me thru twitter if Mayen the fan was crossing the line sharing her sob story with James the basketball star. So here’s my take. Vince still has a core group of fans that are still very loyal to this day and we love them. Since I only got together with Vince, it was initially taxing to be thrown into the PBA fan culture. I love and appreciate them but in the beginning, I too had reservations about them calling and asking Vince for advice ranging from family, love, finances and other matters. After the initial shock of them having that much access, I questioned why they needed to call him and bring drama?

Well I quickly learned that he made a decision to treat fans as human beings, as friends, and at times, family. We’re in a country where fans regard players as demi-gods and many of them strive to be allowed in the players’ circle of trust depending on his beliefs. Some fans leave work or school, spend their savings, and camp outside the gym for hours just to worship and support their favorite player. Not to mention send all sorts of gifts and goodies. I’m not defending Ms. Austria or justifying whatever it is that she has with Mr. Yap because I honestly do not have a clue and this could all just be a misunderstanding. All I’m saying is that fans and players being friends is not beyond me. Many players, James obviously being one of them, allow for a select few to have a relationship that is beyond screaming their names from the stands and getting their autographs. Maybe with James’ humble beginnings, he’s more open to these matters as compared to Kris who from the very beginning was taught to be a bit more cautious because of the politics that surround her family.