Many people were intrigued by the young female companion of folk singer Freddie Aguilar at the 5th Star Awards on October 13, where he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to Philippine music. When he was interviewed backstage after the awarding, the "Anak" singer admitted that he is currently dating a teenager.

“'Yung kasama ko, girlfriend. ‘Yung kasama niyang buntis, girlfriend ng anak kong si Jeriko,” the 60-year-old singer told PEP.ph. “Yung GF ko, ano... 16 nga lang siya, e (I'm with my girlfriend. The pregnant girl she's with is the girlfriend of my son, Jeriko. My GF is only 16.).”

Freddie then defended his unconventional choice of a partner, claiming that he didn’t know how old the girl was when he started courting her.

“Hindi ko alam na 16 siya noong niligawan ko. 'Nung malaman ko, sabi ko, 'Andun na, e. Ano pa ang magagawa ko?' Aatras ka ba noon, e, na-in love na, e (I didn’t know that she was only 16 when I courted her. When I found out, I said, ‘We’re already here. What else can I do?’ Should I still go back, when I'm already in love?)?” he remarked, adding that her parents have already accepted him.

“Yung mga magulang niya, tanggap na rin siguro. Sabi lang daw sa kanya, 'Mag-ingat ka diyan, babaero daw 'yan!'” he said. "Pero yung consent ng mga magulang, nasa akin (Her parents have probably already accepted us. She said they just told her, ‘Be careful, we heard he’s a womanizer!’ But I already have their consent.).”

The veteran singer also said that he isn’t affected by the 44-year age gap between him and his girlfriend, and that he doesn’t care about the people who have branded him as a “cradle snatcher.”

“Nasabihan na akong ganyan dati. Di ba, doon sa third wife ko? She was only 17 nang maging girlfriend ko rin,” he said. “Sabi ko, wala pa akong nabasa sa dictionary na ang meaning ng love ay you have to look for the same age as you are (People have told me that before. My third wife was only 17 when she became my girlfriend. I said, I’ve never read in a dictionary that love means having to look for someone of the same age as you are.).”

As for marriage, Freddie admitted that while a wedding is still out of the question as his girlfriend isn’t of legal age yet, they have already discussed having a baby together.

“We're talking about having a baby,” he said. "Sabi ko sa kanya, 'Parang ang bata mo pa para magka-baby.' Sabi naman niya, 'Hindi, gusto kong magka-baby, e.' So, we're talking about it… Kung kaaawaan ng Diyos na makabuo kami ng baby, pampitong anak ko na ito (I told her, ‘You seem too young to have a baby.’ She said, ‘No, I want to have a baby.’ So we’re talking about it… If God would allow us to have a baby, this would be my seventh child.).”

(Photo courtesy of PEP.ph)