James Yap pens birthday message for son, Bimby

Basketball superstar James Yap marks his son's birthday today, April 19, with a special greeting on Instagram.

The sweet-shooting forward posted an old picture of him with Bimby accompanied by a short but touching message.

“HAPPY 14th Birthday Bimb. I Love you no matter what! Wishing you all the best that life can offer. God bless you,” wrote James, who plays for Rain or Shine in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Bimby, whose full name is James Carlos Aquino Yap Jr., is James's son with talk show host and ex-wife, Kris Aquino.

James and Bimby rarely see each other and their relationship has been estranged for the past few years.

The ongoing pandemic has only made it more challenging for the two to reconnect.

The celebrity status of his parents has made Bimby a target of malicious rumors and bashing on social media.

Kris recently decided to limit the exposure of Bimby and Joshua, her son with action star Phillip Salvador, on social media to spare them from hurtful comments.

“In a span of a week, my children have been used to trigger me,” Kris wrote in March.

“Kuya Josh, with zero factual basis, was said to have impregnated a girl.

“Bimb has been repeatedly targeted with bullying because people are insisting he is gay.”

She added, “Regarding Kuya Josh, name us and show us the girl. About Bimb, he is 13 years old. I know my son doesn't identify as being gay, BUT in the event he ever does, he will still be my son.

“The bullying you are doing is a reflection of your homophobic attitudes that are no longer welcome in 2021.”

As for her decision to reduce Josh and Bimby's social media appearances, Kris said in a separate video message, “They will have enough privacy, but you cannot see them as often as you used to.”

She advised Bimby to just be himself and ignore bashers on social media.

“Hindi na natin kasalanan kung ano 'yung magiging opinion nila about you, but what's important is you know who you are and you're not going to be like them,” Kris said in a video message.

“I brought up a son who is brave.”

Bimby's birthday last year was quite unique as he celebrated it while in quarantine in Puerto Galera. Take a look at other celebrity kids who marked their birthdays at the height of the global pandemic.