Herbert Bautista says he and Kris Aquino are on 'discovery' level

'Friendzone!'

This was the reaction of Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista when asked about his 'friendly lunch' with Kris Aquino.

It can be recalled that in a presscon, Kris revealed that the comedian/politician invited her for lunch in Makati City.

Kris made it clear then that it was not a date.

'Napag-usapan namin lahat ng kapalpakan, pagkakamali, and all.

'And the one thing from that lunch that came out of it was that we both realized, if you want a relationship—I’m not talking about him, ha, kasi nasa friendzone na kami—kung gusto mo talaga magka-chance, keep it to yourself, lalo na if you are public.'

READ: Kris Aquino on Mayor Herbert Bautista: 'Nasa friend zone na kami'

At the QCinema International Film Festival 2016 awards night held in QCX Interactive Museum, Quezon City on Wednesday night, October 19, the mayor said Kris's recent statement took him quite off guard.

He quipped, 'Nagulat nga ako e.

'Friendzone lang kami ngayon.

'Matagal na kaming friendzone.'

Turning a bit more serious, he told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) and other press that the Kris he recently had lunch with was more composed.

'It's nice kasi ano ngayon e mas kalmado siya. At saka andun siya sa point ng, para sa akin, the way I look at it, self-discovery which is also good for her.'

One of the things they talked about was Kris' showbiz career plans.

The 48-year-old politician related, 'She's in a self-discovery mode and, you know, for the longest time, talagang tuluy-tuloy almost every day, di ba? Biglang boom!

'So yung hiatus na yun gave her a break with various elements—discovering herself as a person, discovering herself as a mother, discovering herself and her nucleus in the family.

'Tamang-tama, wala rin si PNoy [former President Noynoy Aquino] ngayon, regular, hindi siya presidente.

'And then, nagbigay rin ng pagkakataon sa kanya to look forward ano yung mga dapat gawin?

'And then yun, yun yung mga pinag-usapan namin.'

Herbert underlined Kris's positive attitude.

'The way I look at her, she's a very positive person.

'First, she's a strong person.

'Second, she has a very positive outlook in life and that is what makes her Kris Aquino, e.' -- For the full story, visit PEP.ph