Aiko: Jom is the reason I don’t have suitors

AIKO Melendez struggled with weight issues, depression and a botched cosmetic surgery last year.

Aiko Melendez said she once suggested to ex-husband Jomari Yllana a pact to get back together if they were single when they both turned 40.

“I’d like to have another child, but [not] with a different man,” said Aiko, 38, who has a 16-year-old son, Andrei, with Jomari. She also has 8-year-old Marteena, with former model Martin Jickain. “When I broached the idea to Jom, he just looked at me and smiled sexily.”

Aiko insisted that she and Jomari have remained close friends. “I think Jom is the reason I don’t have suitors—guys seem to believe I’m reconciling with him,” she said, adding that she is also friends with Martin and his wife Maggie. “Meanwhile, I go out, but often with friends.”

She denied a rumor that she is dating a much younger man, an athlete. She insisted, refusing to reveal his identity, “I don’t want to assume anything. He probably just wants to be my friend.”

She is focused on her children at the moment, Aiko said. “Andrei is a teenager now and asks questions that I wish he’d ask his father. I’m trying to learn as much as I can about teenagers. I also pray a lot. I’m lucky because Andrei is a respectful kid; he understands that I want only what’s best for him.”

Marteena is a feisty girl, said Aiko. “I think she is my [karmic reward],” she quipped. “She’s so much like me, an actress-politician in the making. I am sure she will give me headaches. It’s good that I still have my mom to help raise my kids.”

A new phase

Aiko said she went through “so many trials” this past year—weight problem, depression and a botched facial surgery. “I was tested emotionally, financially, spiritually. Things improved when I surrendered myself to God. Now, I’m back to acting and I’m super-excited.”

Aiko is in the cast of the morning drama series “The Gift Giver,” which took over the time slot of “Be Careful With My Heart.” She plays Rose, eldest daughter of lead character Ernest (Eddie Garcia). “It’s always a joy to work with a respected actor like Tito Eddie. This project reminds me of my own father (Jimi Melendez), who passed away 13 years ago. Doing this series has made me miss him even more,” she told the Inquirer.

She recalled the short time shared with her dad. “He left to start another family. Because of his matinee-idol status, he didn’t want to acknowledge me as his child. That was why I was launched as Aiko Paredes,” she recalled. “We didn’t have a good relationship in the beginning. I wanted to be a loving daughter to him; I took him on a vacation in Hong Kong. He died three months later.”

“The Gift Giver” is the first story in the ABS-CBN Christmas special, “Give Love on Christmas.” It also features Dimples Romana, Carlo Aquino, Louise Abuel, Gerald Madrid and Nadine Samonte. Jerome Pobocan directs.