Being Councilor Aiko (or weighing up a dream)

Call it the celluloid curse (or blessing). You know how it works. You’re in a mall and you spy a movie star. Now watch the people who are in his/her path. They gawk, they do a double-take, some surreptitiously try to make kalabit their companions in the hope of not looking obvious and yet pointing out the star’s presence. Others unabashedly approach the star with a ready greeting or comment. And still others just grin from ear to ear in the hope of getting a fleeting smile or acknowledgement. Whatever, there’s a subtle shift in the atmosphere, charged by the celebrity’s presence. And as he or she moves on, it’s like you can visibly sense normalcy returning.

Walking down the halls of Quezon City Hall with Councilor Aiko Melendez Yllana and hoping for anonymity is an exercise in futility. Other councilors approach us, and while of equal footing in the political field, the only ripple they’re creating is in the air they’re displacing as we walk down the hallway. After 15 years in show business, Aiko knows only too well that this is her metier–people. They know her, have lived her ups and downs with her, acknowledge her presence; and so now it becomes her responsibility to put this undivided attention, even devotion, to good use.

Several eyebrows were raised when she decided to throw her hat into the political ring, yet Aiko confidently states, "I know that the timing was pretty controversial. President Estrada came from our industry and it was just so easy for detractors to generalize and question my competence level, my qualifications. I took that as a challenge, to prove that not only could I be a good actress, but I had what it takes to be a good politician as well. I knew I had the sincerity, the willingness to help, and sure, while that doesn’t have to translate into entering politics, I felt that by running I could help a greater number of people."

In fact, as Aiko recounts, she recently told her manager Douglas Quijano that in view of her newfound passion, she has opted to take a sabbatical from show business. The last thing she wants to hear is that she doesn’t have the time for her constituents because of showbiz commitments. It‘s her eagerness to learn and what she holds to be her infinite capacity for compassion that will see her through.

"Sure, there are times I view what my fellow actors or actresses are involved with and I get envious. But I’ve made a choice and given the response of the voters in the district, I can hardly turn my back on them. This is what I have to prioritize. If I feel I’ve learned enough and things have normalized, maybe, in time, I can go back, do one special film a year. People speculate about how serious I am; but remember, for love I already turned my back on the movies once in my life." And she’s self-depreciating enough to realize that given the trend of Philippine movies last year, she hardly had the body to join the bold trend.

If there is something disarming about Aiko, it’s the sheer honesty with which she approaches her life. She readily admits to having ballooned up to 200 pounds during her pregnancy (son Andre is now three years old). And because of a thyroid condition it was difficult to lose the poundage after giving birth. While there are a number of pounds still to lose, she’s made progress, and half-jokingly credits the campaign and extraordinary stress on top of her diet and exercise regimen for finally helping her lose weight.

What constituted extraordinary stress was the break-up of a marriage that both Aiko and Jomari thought would last forever. After having gone through the stage where you feel it’s the two of you against the world, the realization that the dream does not last forever can be unsettling.

While several theories were made on the reasons for the split, Aiko avers that a large part of it came from the women who were "throwing themselves at my husband", her getting affected by it all and the inability of the couple to handle such problems. Without pushing too hard to make it work, there is still hope that someday they will get back together.

But if the situation that exists now is the order of the day, Aiko philosophically considers it a sign for her to concentrate on the political work at hand.

Whether we like to admit or not, there are similarities between the worlds of show business and politics. There’s the role-playing that becomes part of your life, the need to be friendly, affable to people you don’t know, or actively dislike. While Aiko joked that she’s quickly learned that politics is an even more vicious world than show business, she has no regrets about the path she’s chosen.

"In show business you’re treated as the princess; while in politics, you’re the one wooing them. And that’s what ultimately makes politics the more difficult world to be moving in. It’s obviously been an edge for me being an actress. Dealing with people just comes naturally, and given that District 2 is primarily composed of the urban poor, it was an advantage to have come from the world I came from. For a lot of them, the movies were their escape from the reality of their lives, the two hours of forgetting their problems. When I was active in film, I was known for being outgoing; and so it was easy to bring that attitude to my political life. In fact, they tease me and call me Miss Congeniality!"

About the viciousness that’s part and parcel of political life, Aiko has this to say, "Wala pang two months and already so many rumors, intrigues. You can check the records, I was late only once because of medical reasons; and I’ve never been absent. Look, once I was on the cellphone, texting my barangay captain about relief goods for victims of a landslide in my district, and with no knowledge of what I was doing on the phone, they wrote that all I do during the council sessions is text friends."

As to the rumors linking her with Mayor Sonny Belmonte, she can only sigh in exasperation. "Before it was so easy to go directly to his office," she laments. "Now with these stupid, unfounded intrigas, I send my secretary, before tongues start wagging."

One faux pas she readily admits to, and has apologized for, is the one when she told two reporters to make an appointment with her manager for an interview.

"That was when I just assumed office. In show business, it’s common to arrange for interviews and have it scheduled by your manager; so I answered on automatic pilot and as soon as it left my mouth I realized just how wrong that was. Of course, they picked up on that right away and I don’t blame them. I was wrong and I subsequently apologized. The thing is, maybe because of my coming from show business they’ll always put me under a microscope. I have to live with that. But I can only do so much right away, learn so much right away. Like the issue of tardiness or absences, one can be tardy or absent a couple of times and still function. Apparently, if I’m late even once, it already means I’m not taking my job seriously. Well, that means I just have to be that much more dedicated, that much sharper!"

If there are moments when she wishes the hours of the day would extend beyond 24, they revolve around the shortage of time she can now spend with Andre. While they sleep together and she ensures that they have their precious moments together, she knows only too well how many more such moments could be shared if she had more time with him.

"The other day, he made me cry; I was so emotional," she relates. "I was calling him my baby, and he got mad and said I shouldn’t call him baby anymore, as he’s already a big boy. And it’s so true, in no time at all, he’ll be that big boy and I’ll be wondering where all the time went."

Another disarming admission from Aiko is that it’s hard to break old habits. While the difficulty of getting up early is long past, as Chairperson of the Committee on Public Affairs and Communication she dutifully attends the 7:45 Monday flag ceremony. She sometimes finds herself waking up and thinking "call time"‚ until she realizes it’s a council meeting she has to rush to.

Aiko recalls how when she was twelve years of age, she would be fascinated by the political debates and discussions she’d view on television. Perhaps there was some stirring even then: "I’d tell my Mom how I hoped to be that person on the podium one day, or be the presiding officer. And she’d tell me how show business was enough gulo for one life and not to even think of politics. Then she’d recall how a brother of my grandfather on the Blardony side was vice-mayor of a town in Pangasinan. So, perhaps this affinity for politics took some time to root, but it’s there in my family tree!"

Aiko’s brother-in-law Anjo Yllana is also a councilor (in Parañaque). As for what the future in politics holds for her, she says, "With Mayor Belmonte’s blessing, perhaps I can succeed him one day. O, that’s just a joke! I’m just at the beginning of this new stage in my life, so I’m taking it slowly. But of course there is the hope to grow and fulfill my dream to the utmost of my talents and my capacity to learn." You can’t argue with that.