Ai-Ai delas Alas
I will pray for it!” said actress Ai-Ai delas Alas, when asked if she was still hoping to have a child with her boyfriend of three years and now fiancé, Gerald Sibayan.
After all, the 52-year-old comedienne pointed out, there were now alternative ways to get pregnant. “I have prepared for that … Let’s go,” she quipped, without going into detail about her plans. She already has three grown-up children: Sean and Sofia, with her first husband Miguel Vera; and Sancho, from a previous relationship.
Ai-Ai and Gerald are set to wed twice—on Nov.11 this year in the United States, followed by a Church wedding in the Philippines next year.
Ai-Ai described her recent engagement to Gerald as a simple affair, adding that she had known his fiancé had already bought a ring, and had been keeping it for over a year. But it wasn’t until earlier this month that she finally got to see it.
“I was surprised. He saved up for it. He popped the question, because he felt it was the right time. He also told me that he couldn’t keep his plan a secret anymore,” Ai-Ai told reporters at a recent press conference for her coming movie, “Our Mighty Yaya,” which opens in cinemas on May 10.
“I thought he was kidding when he told me before that he was buying me a ring,” added the actress.
Her previous and second marriage, with businessman Jed Salang in 2013, was allegedly an abusive one and lasted over a month. And for a while, Ai-Ai had fears and apprehensions about remarrying. But for her, Gerald—almost 30 years her junior—is different.
“This one came naturally. The previous one, I admit, was not—pinilit ko ’yun, e. Marami akong gustong ipaglaban at patunayan. But I’ve realized that what started out wrong would likely end similarly,” related Ai-Ai, who also stressed that she had no doubt about saying “yes” to marrying Gerald, who’s part of the national badminton team.
Be thankful
She acknowledges that entering into a relationship is always a risk. “You can’t predict how things will turn out; there’s no assurance. As long as you’re together, be thankful and enjoy each other,” she said.
Asked what sets her current beau apart from her past boyfriends, Ai-Ai said that Gerald is the only one who accompanies her in praying the novena every Wednesday. “God is at the center of our relationship—that’s why I think it works,” she surmised. “And my family and friends don’t have anything bad to say about him. They all find him a kind person.”
It’s also heartening that even Ai-Ai’s children are supportive of the engagement. “They get to spend time with him in the house, so they know how he really is like. Sofia cried because she was happy for me,” Ai-Ai said.
In “Our Mighty Yaya”—a Mother’s Day offering directed by Jose Javier Reyes—Ai-Ai plays Virgie, a woman who leaves her own family to work as a nanny in the city. Virgie eventually gets close to her wards and the family she works for, but also gets entangled in their conflicts.
Has Ai-Ai ever acted like a yaya of sorts for Gerald? “No, he grew up to be an independent person. But, he loves it when I pamper and take care of him,” she said.