It appears that the tweets of senatorial candidate Herbert Bautista alluding to Kris Aquino did not sit well with the actress and her soon-to-be husband, former Interior Secretary Mel Sarmiento.

In a now deleted tweet, Bautista addressed presidential bet Sen. Panfilo Lacson about getting inspired to propose to someone but hinted at not being chosen, which many believe was referring to Aquino’s recently announced engagement.

“Mr. President Ping @iampinglacson, na-inspire din tuloy akong mag-propose. Kaso, sayang… may napili na po sya,” Bautista said while adding #KungMaibabalikKoLang #TOTGA in the tweet.

Bautista and Aquino had been romantically linked in the past years.

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But Sarmiento, the actress-host’s fiancé, did not let the tweet pass as he issued a statement lamenting the improper and "ungentlemanlike" pronouncements of Bautista about his past love.

“Although Mayor Herbert Bautista has already taken down his post which obviously referred to Kris, I just wish that this would serve as a reminder that talking about past flames in public is improper and ungentlemanlike,” the former Cabinet member said.

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Sarmiento also reminded the former Mayor of Quezon City not to use other people to get public attention as he campaigns for a Senate seat in the 2022 elections.

“As a former public servant now seeking a seat in the Senate, he should know better than dragging other people to get public attention. Hindi po showbiz ang Senado. People would appreciate it more if he would talk about his credentials to woo our people's votes,” he added.

“Mas magandang accomplishments niya bilang public servant ang ilahad niya sa publiko sa halip na ang mga nakalipas niyang karelasyon.”

Aquino, who said she has been trying to lay low on social media, also broke her silence and echoed the same sentiments as her fiancé in a lengthy statement.

The actress said he agreed with Sarmiento said, noting that results of some surveys show Bautista nearing the “Magic 12.”

“I totally agree with what he said especially because sa survey na nakita ko, within striking distance ka na sa Magic 12- so there’s no need to use our past to gain attention,” Aquino quipped.

“Trust in yourself, that your track record is more than enough to get you elected and have enough faith in the wisdom of the Filipino voters.”

Without naming Bautista, she also asked him to stop changing the story, revealing that she informed the politician about her engagement to Sarmiento.

Aquino said she messaged Bautista to talk, to which the latter responded immediately: “Magaan ang usapan BUT I did tell you, BEFORE I told anybody else, that my version of ME AFTER YOU had already begun.”

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The celebrity also advised the senatorial bet to talk about not her present love life and not his past romances.

“It’s common knowledge that you’re now in a new relationship with a beautiful girlfriend… so if you need to talk about your love life, please talk about your present, not your past,” she said.

Bautista offered an apology to Aquino for his “loose remark” that “unjustifiably hurt feelings” and deleted the initial tweet. He later on took down his apology tweet too.

In another deleted tweet, Bautista said he knew Sarmiento could take care of Aquino better and that he regrets the chance he did not take.

“I'm sorry. I failed to see it coming, until it was too late. Alam kong maaalagaan ka nya, and I can see that you’re happier now. Aminado ako, I know I have not been good enough. Still regretting the chance I didn’t take. You deserve better,” Bautista tweeted.

Aquino and Sarmiento first made public their relationship in August, followed by her announcement of their engagement on October 24.