What Ai-Ai delas Alas is grateful for despite failed marriage to Miguel Vera
Miguel Vera (left) and Delas Alas (right) with Lani Misalucha
“Life is short.”
For this simple reason, Ai-Ai delas Alas has made it her goal to renew her wedding vows with her husband every five years. “Ngayon lang kasi ako nagkaroon ng asawa na ganito kaayos,” she said of athlete-turned-private pilot Gerald Sibayan, whom she married in 2017.
The couple marked their fifth anniversary last December. And what better way to celebrate the occasion, Ai-Ai pointed out, than affirming their love for each other. The intimate ceremony was held in Las Vegas, United States, and attended by a few close friends.
“We were very happy! We’ve been married for five years and, as early as now, we’re already looking forward to our 10th. We would love to renew our vows on our 10th, 15th, 20th anniversaries. I get jealous of other couples who renew their vows. So we did it now—baka ‘di na ako umabot ng 10 years, ma-tegibambam na ‘ko! So now, at least I can say I have experienced it,” Ai-Ai told the Inquirer.
One thing she appreciates about Gerald is that he understands the nature of her work as an actor and performer. He doesn’t get jealous of the men she works with, Ai-Ai said—not even her ex-husband and former recording artist Miguel Vera, with whom she will be doing a concert on Jan. 21 at the Bellflower Civic Center in California.
Returning to live shows
“He’s not jealous of him because he knows that Miguel and I have our respective lives now,” the 58-year-old celebrity said.
Titled “Ang Dating Kami,” the show will be Ai-Ai and Miguel’s first as coheadliners. “We appeared together in a past show, but only as guests. This is our first time to do a back-to-back show,” she said, adding that it was Miguel’s idea to do the show after he saw her and other GMA 7 stars perform in Los Angeles last year.
“He told me that he had fun watching us and that he missed doing live shows. ‘Let’s do one,’ he told me. And I was like, ‘Go!’ I also recently saw one of his recent performances on the [Wish 107.5 FM] bus in the US and he still sings very well. His voice is still beautiful.”
Ai-Ai’s marriage to Miguel—the voice behind the early 1990s hits, “Nais Ko” and “Narito ang Puso Ko”—lasted from 1989 to 1996. They have two children, Nicolo and Sophia. “He will perform his hit songs in his solo spots—that’s his moment. As for me, well, I don’t have a hit song. But I did get opportunities to record albums!” she said, laughing.
Ai-Ai delas Alas (left) renews weddings vows with Gerald Sibayan
‘Time heals all wounds’
Looking back at their failed relationship, the most memorable part, Ai-Ai joked, were their fights. “Eh ‘di ‘yung pag-aaway namin! We were still young back then, so away-bati talaga kami,” she said.
She is, however, grateful for the “beautiful children” Miguel gave her. “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have beautiful kids. Because he has good genes—his complexion is like those of Koreans.’ My kids inherited that. Kung lahi ko lang, ‘di sila masyadong kagandahan!” she said. “At least, gwapito ang lolo mo. Nalahian ako ng gwapings!”
Things between them weren’t all rosy after their separation. But as they say, “time heals all wounds”—or at least most of them. “It took us a long time to get to where we are now, but after some time, we learned to accept one another,” said Ai-Ai, who also pointed out that coparenting their children would have been impossible if they weren’t on good terms.
“We can’t not speak to each other. Even if we were at odds, we had to face each other, because we have children,” she said. “We will always have something to talk about.”
