Aiko Melendez (right) with kids Andrei and Marthena
While the thought of having her eggs frozen has already crossed Aiko Melendez’s mind, actually having another baby, she said, is something that remains unseen.
“Nagkakaroon pa ako!” she quipped, laughing, when asked if she and her boyfriend, Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun, have plans of having a child together. “I’m at a point where I want to freeze my eggs, because, looking at my two children, I can say that my genes are strong.”
“Maganda ang lahi ko, in fairness!” she told reporters at the sidelines of a recent press conference for “The Flower Sisters,” the new installment of GMA 7’s and Regal Entertainment’s primetime drama anthology series, “Mano Po Legacy.”
Two children
Aiko has two children from her previous marriages: son Andrei Yllana, 24, with Jomari Yllana; and daughter Marthena Jickain, 16, with Martin Jickain. “If you look at Andrei, the eyebrows are the only thing he got from his father. But his eyes and nose he got from me. And Marthena is my mini-me. Malakas talaga ang dugo ko.”
But the thing is, she said, Marthena can be a bit “selosa.” “She wants to remain the youngest child. She has misgivings about me having another baby. But maybe all she needs is assurance that—if she were to have another sibling—marriage has to come first. She’s conservative like that,” Aiko said.
Which brings us to the question: Does she see herself getting married for a third time? “Hindi, kapag sa ‘kin manggaling. I still want to get married, of course. But I don’t want to be in a wedding gown at 50—time is ticking!” jested Aiko, who turns 47 on Dec. 16.
But with or without marriage, Aiko believes that she has found in Jay the qualities she’s looking for in a long-term partner. The most important thing, she said, is that her children feel comfortable with him. “They’re close. He’s the one boyfriend I had my kids found approachable. They go to him when they have problems. Marthena talks to him. He and Andrei go out,” she said.
“So I have no problems in that regard,” added Aiko, who currently sits as councilor in Quezon City’s 5th district. “Winner na rin. I feel blessed in all aspects.”
This is the kind of closeness Aiko wants for Andrei and Jomari. “They don’t see each other often,” she said. “I believe this time and age in Andrei’s life is the best time for them to be together, to have that father and son bonding… and be like a barkada. So, I hope Jomari can give Andrei the chance to have that kind of bonding. He will love him even more.”
Jomari’s 1st and last love
In celebration of their recent anniversary, Jomari paid tribute to his teenage sweetheart and current partner, Abby Viduya, with a heartfelt message, parts of which read: “My first and my last, my love and my life.”
Asked to comment about Jomari’s post, Aiko said she’s happy for Jomari and his love life. But she has one request.
“I just hope his children are included in that ‘life’ he speaks of—especially Andrei. What I care about is my kids’ welfare. He’s happy with his love life, let’s give him that … But I hope that, when he says he’s whole, that his life is whole, his eldest son is part of that,” she said.
The actress stressed that, never at any point, did she deprive her son of seeing his father. “You all know me—ako na nanawagan. Kulang na lang manawagan ako sa channel 4!” she said. “And my son really wants to see his father. But maybe Jom is busy, let’s just understand that.”
And despite the circumstances, Andrei doesn’t harbor any ill feelings toward Jomari. “I commend my son… With everything he has been through, he has no anger or tampo. He understands his father. I always remind him not to hate him. I tell him, ‘Hindi man kami naging OK as partners, tatay mo pa rin ‘yun,’” she related.
Meanwhile, she couldn’t be more excited working with Beauty Gonzalez on “The Flower Sisters.” She also insisted that she has no issues sharing top billing with her.
“I don’t mind the billing at all. We used to star in competing shows (‘Prima Donnas’ and ‘Kadenang Ginto’), and I have always looked forward to working with her,” she related. “Prior to this, we met in a shoot for an endorsement. And even then I knew we would click—pareho kaming lukaret!”
While she’s open to doing indie projects—like the 2014 Cinemalaya entry “Asintado”—Aiko has made a conscious decision to avoid villain roles or something that requires kissing scenes. “I don’t want to play a contravida for the meantime because it’s very tiring,” she said. “And my kids aren’t comfortable seeing me doing kissing scenes… And I respect that. I value their opinion.” INQ