Aiko Melendez Reveals How Onemig Bondoc Reacted When She Tested His Love
AIKO MELENDEZ – Before their rekindled romance became serious, Aiko Melendez made Onemig Bondoc prove that his feelings were genuine.
Aiko Melendez and Onemig Bondoc appear to be taking their rekindled romance seriously, with marriage now among the possibilities they have started discussing. During their guest appearance on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” on Wednesday, September 23, the former couple opened up about their second chance at love and how their relationship developed after nearly three decades apart.
Before reaching the point where marriage became part of their conversations, Aiko and Onemig went through an unusual courtship that lasted eight months. During that period, they mostly relied on phone calls rather than seeing each other in person.
Their conversations were far from brief. Onemig revealed that their longest phone call lasted as much as eight hours, showing how much time they spent reconnecting and getting to know each other again.
Aiko explained that she wanted to make sure their renewed relationship was based on genuine feelings rather than simply nostalgia or a rebound.
“Kasi ayaw namin ng rebound, and then ayoko siyang pumupunta sa bahay just because we had a thing before, and then I told him na ‘I just wanna be sure of my feelings muna’,” the actress said.
She also wanted to test whether Onemig was truly serious about pursuing her. Even while he was in the United States, he continued making an effort to stay in contact with her despite their different time zones.
“So sabi ko, eight months, nakayanan niya po, and then States, iba ang timezone nga po, ‘di ba? So sabi ko, ‘Tingnan ko lang ‘tong lalaking ‘to kung gigising ba ‘to sa oras na gusto ko.’ Tito-Ninong, everyday, walang mintis po and hindi ko lang masagot, kunyari 30 minutes, nag-a-anxiety attack po siya,” Aiko revealed.
Aiko also admitted that she allowed herself to meet other people while figuring out her emotions. At one point, she went on a date with a man whom she compared to Marvel superhero Thor because he resembled actor Chris Hemsworth.
However, the experience made her realize that her feelings for Onemig remained stronger.
“Na-realize ko na ‘Ay, parang wala akong feelings dito kahit kamukha niya si Thor. Parang si Onemig pa rin ‘yung nananaig.’ So nu’ng pag-uwi ko po, he called me right away. Sabi niya, ‘May request lang sana ako sa ‘yo.’ ‘Ano ‘yun? We’ll talk as a friend now.’ Sabi niya, ‘Masakit na, eh. Pwede ‘wag ka nang mag-explore, nandito naman ako, bakit kailangan pang mag-explore?’” said Aiko.
Their romance officially became public on Valentine’s Day 2026, when Onemig shared photos of them with the caption “Happy together… after 29 years.”
Both had built separate lives and relationships during their years apart. Aiko was previously married to Jomari Yllana and Martin Jickain and had an eight-year relationship with Jay Khonghun. She announced their separation in October 2025.
Onemig, meanwhile, married Valerie Bariou in 2009 before their separation in 2014.
Now, after 29 years, the two have found their way back to each other, with their renewed relationship seemingly moving toward a more serious chapter.
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