Aiko more blessed when loveless
Believe it or not but Aiko Melendez has been fancy-free for one year and two months now (after she broke up with her foreigner boyfriend) and it’s something unusual in a field like showbiz where changing partners is as common and as regular and as natural as changing one’s underwear.
“I am more blessed when I have no love life,” claimed Aiko who has survived two marriages, the first to Jomari Yllana by whom she has a son (Andre, 18) and the second to Martin Jickain who left her with a daughter (Marthena, 11). “I focus on work and there’s no distraction. At 41, having a man in my life is the least of my concerns. Been there, done that.”
As you must have heard or read (including in this corner), Aiko is riding high as a contravida in Wildflower, the Kapamilya teleserye with Maja Salvador in the titular role.
“We achieved the highest rating ever for a local soap,” Aiko proudly heralded, “and that was for the black wedding episode where Maja’s character wore black,” probably a nod to the classic Jeanne Moreau starrer The Bride Wore
Black. “We are happy that our soap is being watched by many people.”
Besides Wildflower, Aiko is also busy with two indies, Tell Me Your Dreams which is “a gift to teachers” and Balatkayo in which she plays an OFW who has to rush home from Singapore when her son gets involved in a sex scandal while her husband remains in Dubai with his mistress.
“I admit that it is hard to be a single parent and a career woman but I can manage,” admitted Aiko, adding that she has stopped wishing that exhusband Jomari would do his share in raising their son “since he is busy with politics,” as Aiko also said in a previous Funfare interview. But unlike other (bitter) showbiz wives who deny their ex-husbands’ access to their kids, Aiko is not selfish. “Jom is welcome to check on Andre anytime. Andre is also eager to see his dad. He really reaches out. Just recently, Andre spent time with his Lola Vicky (Garchitorena, Jomari’s mom).”
Aiko said she feels lighter without any emotional baggage that hampers one’s journey through life.
“What for?” she asked. “Oh yes, I am good friends with Martin’s wife Maggie Tirol. We share confidences and we tell each other our secrets. Maggie is a good stepmom to Marthena.”
Since Andre is fast growing up and has embarked on a showbiz career (managed by Ogie Diaz), Aiko is all eyes and all ears especially when it comes to the boy’s love life.
“I used to know Andre’s password so I could check on his social media activities pero nabuking niya ako so he changed his password, and now I can’t snoop anymore,” laughed Aiko. “I advise Andre not to fall in love muna and to concentrate on his career. I should know. I first fell in love when I was 18.”
In the next breath, Aiko recalled her “episode” with Aga Muhlach (almost 10 years Aiko’s senior, now happily married to Charlene Gonzalez with whom he has twins).
“I was about 14 when I did a movie called Too Young with Aga, directed by Peque Gallaga. He waited for me to turn 18 before he started courting me. Well, ‘yon ang pagkakaalam ko sa kuwento niya. I was 18 when we worked together on another movie, May Minamahal, at niligawan na niya ako. I knew it when he began giving me gifts…chocolates which were my favorite.” Local (such as Chocnut) or imported? “Both,” said Aiko, blushing. “Mostly Goya which was my favorite at that time. I wondered aloud, ‘Bakit kaya ako binibigyan ng chocolates ni Kuya Aga?’ When he heard that, Aga kunwari scolded me, ‘Don’t call me kuya, ha!’ He knew that I loved playing drums so he gifted me with a set of drums. I was already 18, nasa tamang edad na, kaya sinagot ko siya and we went steady for eight months.”
Soon after Aga, Jomari entered Aiko’s life. “Hayun,” she blushed some more. “Nabuntis ako (kay Andre).”
Lesson learned? “I pass it on to Andre. I told him that I was 18 when I fell in love and that was what happened. Kaya dapat hindi niya ako gayahin.” ‘I am because we are’
Here’s another inspiring story contributed by avid Funfare follower Joseph Chua (didn’t say who the author is or where he got it): UBUNTU — A very nice story from Africa
The motivation behind the Ubuntu culture in Africa…
An anthropologist proposed a game to the African tribal children…
He placed a basket of sweets near a tree and made the children 100 meters way. Then, he announced that whoever reached first would get all the sweets in the basket, and yelled, “Ready, steady, go!”
Do you know what the children did?
They held each other’s hands, ran together toward the tree, divided the sweets among themselves, ate the sweets and enjoyed it.
When the anthropologist asked them why they did so, the children said, “Ubuntu.” Which meant, “How can one be happy when the others are sad?” Ubuntu in their language means “I am because we are!”
A strong message for all generations. Let all of us always have this attitude and spread happiness wherever we go. Let’s practice “Ubuntu.”
“I am because we are.” It’s a lesson that we must keep in our hearts and manifest in our daily lives.