PBA superstar Yap faces bigger battle in 'another court'

MANILA, Philippines – It was a double whammy for PBA superstar James Yap yesterday.

Yap shot a miserable 6-of-19 from the field in the San Mig Coffee Mixers’ 82-87 loss to the streaking Air21 Express. But the pain of that loss is nothing compared to what he absorbed earlier when a Makati City Court granted the request of his ex-wife Kris Aquino to release a Temporary Protection Order (TPO) against him.

The court ordered Yap to keep a distance of at least 100 meters from her, their son Bimby and any household member.

Yap, who was picture of a distraught father in a TV Patrol interview yesterday, denied the accusations of Aquino.

“Nasasaktan ako kasi 'yung anak ko sobrang sama na ng tingin sa akin (I’m hurting because my son already looks at me as a bad person),” said Yap, who failed to fight back his tears.

“As a father, sobrang nasasaktan ako, sinasabihan akong ‘I don’t like you, you’re a liar. Iniisip ko ano bang ginawa ko? Wala naman akong ginawa. Tinanong ko, ‘Sinong natuturo sa ’yo niyan?’ ‘Mama, mama.’ Ang ginagawa ko na lang kapag sinasabihan ako ng masama, sinasabi ko na lang, ‘Bimb tingin ka sa mata ni Papa. Love na love ka ni Papa.’ (As a father, I’m deeply hurting when my son tells me ‘I don’t like you, you’re a liar. I was thinking what did I do wrong? I’m not doing anything wrong. I asked him, ‘Who taught you that?’ ‘Mama, mama.’ What I do whenever he keeps on saying bad things about me, I tell him, ‘Bimb look at Papa’s eyes. Papa loves you very much),” he added.  

Yap is facing raps filed by Aquino that he made “overt sexual advances” which she vigorously resisted. Aquino said in her plea that his former husband tried to ''seduce'' her in full view of their son last Dec. 3.

The two-time PBA MVP recounted his version of what transpired in that Dec. 3 visit to his son in his ex-wife’s house.

“Magpapaalam na sana akong umalis. Sabi ko ‘Bimb kiss mo na si Papa kasi aalis na.’ Nandoon si Kris, nandoon ang bata. Sabi ni Bimb ‘I don’t like.’ Ako naman, ‘Bimb kapag hindi mo i-kiss si Papa, iki-kiss ko si Mama.’ Tapos ang reaction ni Kris, ‘Yuck, yuck, yuck.’ (I was about to ask to leave already when I told my son, “Bimb, kiss Papa because he’s about to go. Kris was there. Bimb replied, ‘I don’t like.’  I answered back, ‘If you don’t kiss Papa, I’ll kiss Mama.’ Then Kris reacted, , ‘Yuck, yuck, yuck’),” he said.

“Ako naman, ayaw talaga ako i-kiss ni Bimby so lumapit ako kay Kris, hinawakan ko siya [sa braso]. Paghawak ko, sabi ko ‘Bimb look o, iki-kiss ko na si Mama mo.’ Tapos biglang si Kris nagsabi na ‘Sinasaktan mo ako, you’re hurting me.’ Parang sinasabi niya kay Bimb ‘Sinaktan ako ng Papa mo.’ Tapos siyempre 'yung bata akala talaga sinsaktan siya (Bimby really did not want to kiss me so I went to Kris, held her arm.  Upon holding her I told my son, ‘Bimb look o, I’ll kiss Mama now.’  Then Kris suddenly reacted, 'You’re hurting me, you’re hurting me.' She was like telling Bimby, ‘Your Papa is hurting me.’  Of course my son was made to believe that I’m hurting her.),” he added.

“Nag-react ang bata gumitna sa amin tapos hi-nug siya. Pag-hug niya sabi ‘No no I don’t like you… Ang mukha ni Kris [nang-aasar pa]. Kaya sabi ko, ‘Ikaw talaga!’ Sinusumbong ko kay Bimb. ‘Bimb look at your mama’s face o, she’s smiling.’ Tapos pagtingin ni Bimby, galit-galitan na naman siya (My son reacted and went in between me and Kris and hugged her. My son told me, ‘No no I don’t like you… Kris was making faces.  That’s why I told her, ‘You made me look bad again.’ I tried to get my son’s attention, ‘Bimb look at your mama’s face oh, she’s smiling.’ When Bimby looked at her, she acted being angry again.),” he said.

‘I’m not a rapist’

Yap said he no longer cares about his ex-wife. All he wants now is to win back his rights to spend time with his son.

“Wala naman na akong pakialam kay Kris eh. Ang gusto ko lang makasama ang anak ko. Bakit ako sinisiraan sa anak ko? Para ano? Ano bang gusto niya? Tapos ngayon ina-accuse niya ako na rapist ako? Grabe naman iyon. Itong lumalabas ngayon sinasabi ni Kris rapist ako or kung ano man ang nakalagay diyan, walang katotohanan iyan (I no longer care about Kris. All I want is to spend time with my son. Why is she trying to paint a bad image of me to my son? For what? What does she really want?  Then she’s accusing me that I’m a rapist? That’s too much. All these things that are coming out in the news that I’m a rapist or whatever is there, that’s not true.),” he said.

“Never ko siyang sinaktan, never ko siyang ginamitan ng kung ano man. Takot ko lang kasi siyempre alam ko naman kung nasaan sila ngayon, nasa power sila. Hindi naman ako tanga na gagawin ko iyon. (I never hurt her, never did I use anything against her. I’m afraid because of their family status, they are in power now. I'm not stupid to do that.),” he added.

Yap also recounted during the TV interview that he was able to talk to Aquino after the Dec. 3 incident.

“The next day, tinawagan niya ako. ‘Binabastos mo yata ako’. Sabi ko, ‘Anong binabastos? Hinawakan ka lang, binibiro ko lang para i-kiss ako ng anak ko tapos binabastos?’ Doon ko na binuhos sa kanya lahat ng hinanakit ko. (The next day, she called me up and told me, ‘It looks like you’re disrespecting me.’ I answered, ‘What do you mean by disrespecting? I just jokingly held your arm to get my son’s kiss.  I poured out my frustrations on her)," he said.

“Sabi ko ‘Hindi mo ba alam na tuwing sinasabihan mo si Bimby ng masama about sa akin, sinasabi sa akin ni Bimby? Kapag tinatanong ko sinong nagsasabi, ikaw ang tinuturo. Sa tingin mo ba hindi ako nasasaktan sa ginagawa mo? Tatay ako ng anak mo. Baka nakakalimutan mo, gusto lang kita i-remind.’ (I told her, ‘Are you not aware that Bimby tells me everytime you teach him bad things about me? Everytime I ask him, he always points at you. Don’t you think I’m not hurt with what you’re doing?  I’m the father of your son. Maybe, you're forgetting it, I just want to remind you.)

Yap said Aquino was speechless and then she ended the call.

“Tumawag ako ulit tapos sabi niya sa akin ‘Baka nakalimutan mo, may three years pa ang brother ko.’ Sabi ko, ‘Grabe ka naman ang yabang mo naman. Ang yabang yabang mo naman.’ (I called her back then she answered, ‘Maybe you’re forgetting it too that my brother has still three years [in the office]. Then I replied, ‘You’re too much, you’re arrogant. You’re very arrogant.)

The PBA superstar wants to have a dialogue with his former wife as his camp sought a hold departure order from the court before Aquino leaves the country with his son.