Drew Arellano and Iya Villania with their kids Primo, Leon, Alana and Astro. Image: Instagram/@drewarellano
Just days after Drew Arellano and Iya Villania teased fans about trying for baby no. 5, the “Byahe ni Drew” host said he and his wife are already happy with just four children.
During an interview with broadcast journalist Pia Arcangel, which was uploaded on GMA Integrated News’ official YouTube channel last Wednesday, June 14, Arellano revealed that he and his wife initially planned to have just two children, but their kids Alana and Astro came at an unexpected time.
“I think we were aiming for one muna, and then the second one kung naging girl si Leon, I think that would’ve been it, you know? Primo and ‘Leona.’ Okay na. But well, naging lalaki nga, sabi namin, ‘Let’s try another one,’” he said, when he was asked if he and Villania always wanted to have lots of children.
(I think we were aiming for one child at first, and then the second one. If Leon turned out to be a girl, I think that would’ve been it, you know? Primo and “Leona.” It’s okay. But well, he became a boy. We said, “Let’s try another one.”)
Since the celebrity couple wanted to have a daughter, they decided to give it another shot in hopes of getting lucky the third time.
“Kung babae, edi okay na. So, we thought ‘yun na ‘yun. By the way, we weren’t vocal about this. [It doesn’t mean] that we didn’t want a fourth one, kusang nangyari na lang din. Duday and Astro happened during the pandemic. What a blessing,” he said, referring to his daughter Alana using her nickname.
“Anyway, we were praying for a girl to the point na it was the only kid na hindi namin inalam ang gender. Not until lumabas na. And then the whole time, Iya thought na ‘lalaki na naman ‘to.’ It was during the pandemic in 2020. I couldn’t go to the delivery room, so I was just waiting sa room namin and then, dinala na ‘yung baby and I was like ‘color pink!’” he continued.
(If it’s a girl, it’s okay already. So, we thought that’s it. By the way, we weren’t vocal about this. It doesn’t mean that we didn’t want a fourth one, it just happened. Duday and Astro happened during the pandemic. What a blessing. Anyway, we were praying for a girl, almost to the point that it was the only kid that we didn’t find its gender. Not until she came out. And then the whole time, Iya thought that it’s a boy again. It was during the pandemic in 2020. I couldn’t go to the delivery room, so I was just waiting in our room and then, the baby came. And I was like, “color pink!”)
As a father-of-four, Arellano also admitted that it’s “different” to raise a baby girl since they’re harder for parents to resist, especially when it comes to showing affection.
“Iba rin ‘yung feeling of having a girl, lalo na two years in. I totally get when my guy friends would say na, ‘Iba talaga ang lambing ng girl’ towards the dad. And then two years in, I totally get it now,” he said. “I totally get it now na parang, ‘Papa!’ parang ang hirap pagalitan.”
(It’s a different feeling when you have a girl, now that we’re two years in. I totally get when my guy friends would say that girls are more affectionate towards their dads. And then two years in, I totally get it now. I totally get it now when she says, “Papa!” It’s hard to get mad at her.)
But when the host was asked if there’s a chance that he and his wife are planning to have a fifth child in the future, he quipped: “I think my wife is waiting for me to undergo vasectomy already,” before laughing with Arcangel.
“Okay na, we’re good (We’re okay now, we’re good),” he continued.
Arellano and Villania tied the knot in January 2014 after being in a relationship for 10 years. They have four children together, Antonio Primo (2016), Alonzo Leon (2018), Alana Lauren (2020), and Astro Phoenix (2022). EDV