Her character Matadora in the fantasy drama series Bagani might be ferocious and menacing, but seasoned actress Aiko Melendez is actually an affectionate and supportive mother to her two adorable children, who she fondly calls “my life,” in real life!
Just like most parents, she is immensely proud to share to the world her handsome firstborn Andre Yllana, who follows her and her former husband Jomari Yllana’s footsteps in the local entertainment scene, and her bunso Marthena Jickain, who, despite being her obvious “carbon copy,” is not seemingly keen in treading on the same path as hers and her ex-husband Martin Jickain.
But aside from being doting and supportive, how Aiko really is as a mom behind the cameras? We’re able to get a glimpse of it through her Magandang Buhay guesting in 2016 alongside her son Andre. While she can be malambing, it was revealed that she could also project tough love. For instance, she prohibited him from using the internet, grounded him, limited his use of cellphone, and imposed a curfew on him when he got low grades at school.
She can also be very protective, as she discouraged him from having a girlfriend during his teenage years since she wanted him to focus on his studies and showbiz career first. And when he told her that she wanted to go on a gimmick with his friends for the first time, Aiko recounted that she accompanied him despite his objection since she was friends with the owners and told them to not allow Andre to enter the premises.
The actress may be authoritative, but she knows how to humble herself to her kids by apologizing and making it up to them whenever she commits mistakes or has shortcomings that truly affect them. One those instances was when she failed to tell Andre first that she’s already in a relationship with her then-foreigner boyfriend before sharing it to social media, which really made him feel bad. That affected their bond, which she did by talking to him earnestly and trying her best to make it up to him.
In her return to the morning show in 2017, she imparted how palaban she can be like her Wildflower character Emilia Ardiente, conveying, “Siyempre ‘pag nanay ka, gagawin mo ang lahat-lahat, ‘di ba, para sa anak mo? Even your own happiness, you’re willing to sacrifice for your kids. And I’m at the point right now that whatever I do right now, the purpose of doing it is for my kids more than myself.”
Since Andre is just new in the industry, Aiko makes sure to give him the guidance that he needs, especially when it comes to acting. This was what she did when he asked for his advice on how to attack a certain scene in the “Tape Recorder” episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya. Meanwhile, with regards to the time that she spends with her children during that time, she told the momshie-hosts that she blocks off her weekends for them.
Later that year, the mother-and-son tandem went back to Magandang Buhay, wherein Andre expressed how proud he is of her, especially that her Wildflower stint is such a huge hit. “Super proud ako kay mommy, kahit ano pang role pa ang gawin niya,” he stated. He also went on to jestingly promise not to make her a grandma yet, then added, “Lagi akong magiging humble. Tapos, as much as possible, I will try to make you proud.”
While these interviews gave us a peek on Aiko’s unbreakable bond with her son Andre, her Instagram posts are enough for us to see how close she is to her daughter Marthena. Even though she’s busy with her commitments as an actress and councilor of Quezon City, she makes sure to still fulfill her mommy duties and to spend quality time with them. They would usually go to church and dates together, with her kids, particularly Marthena, accompanying her in some of the events that she attends.
Check out some of Aiko’s lovely photos together with Andre and Marthena in this gallery!