Aiko is in love

On The Buzz a few weeks ago, Aiko Melendez looked smashing! She had a light and funny conversation with Kris Aquino. Asked how she felt that Jomari Yllana (father of her child Andrei) was openly dating Miss Denmark and his love affair that went kaput with Ara Mina, she quipped – "Whether it’s Ara or Miss Denmark, the important thing is I have moved on. I’m happy," she said. And yes, "Jonard is my boyfriend."

They’ve been on for six months now and Jonard is 24 to her 29 – debunking talks that she’s going steady with someone puerile. She laughed at it, saying it’s not much of a difference and when did age matter in affairs of the heart?

In the studio, I watched Aiko fondly beside her manager, my dear friend Wyngard Tracy. Wyn is one of the most respected managers in the talent management industry. With Wyngard, we can just look at each other and we can either burst into boisterous laughter or eyebrows would naturally fly in all directions. It’s always fun to be with Wyngard.

Aiko also intimated that Andrei loves Jonard. "How did you meet Jonard?" Krissy asked. They met at Virgin Café during a concert, where Jonard, who wanted to be noticed by Aiko, jokingly asked, "Nilulon mo ba si Aiko?"

"Basta nagpapa-cute siya," Aiko revealed. Well, that got Aiko’s attention and friendly dates followed. They got to know each other better and fell in love.

During the Buzz interview, Jonard was a couple of meters away from Aiko, in the middle of a crowd that had gathered in the middle of the studio. People were clueless that he was the Jonard Aiko and Kris were talking about.

But if they only looked closely, you couldn’t have mistaken him for someone else – his eyes were sparkling and were staring only at the beautiful Aiko Melendez.

To Jonard, she was the only one inside that studio. That’s what love is all about.

Miss Teen Philippines

Who is this year’s Miss Teen Philippines? Find out as Studio 23 airs the Miss Teen Philippines 2005 National Pageant tonight at 10:30.

Miss Teen Philippines 2005 aims to bring together confident, intelligent, and talented teens from all over the country.

As Miss Teen Philippines 2005, the winner will get a chance to travel around the country and perhaps around the world to speak with other young people, promote responsible behavior and motivate others to take the initiative to define their goals and direction in life. A tough role, if you ask me.

"Candidates were judged s follows: 40 percent for intelligence and communication skills; 30 percent for beauty and 30 percent for poise and grace under pressure," said Vicente Caoile, Jr., chairman and president of Image Networks Management, Inc. (INMI), organizer of Miss Teen Philippines.

Unlike other beauty pageants that are mostly about beauty, Miss Teen Philippines puts a high premium on the mind. The pageant is, indeed, a welcome relief from the usual beauty pageant fare where being beautiful is enough ticket to clinching the title.

Because the organizers would like to protect their teen candidates from exploitation, Miss Teen Philippines has a fun wear category in place of the usual swimwear competition.

"Joining Miss Teen Philippines and eventually winning the title has become a life-changing experience for me," shares 14-year-old Stephanie Mae Sol, last year’s winner and the first ever Miss Teen Philippines. "It gave me the chance to connect with more people and know them better while speaking on relevant issues like the degradation of the environment, promotion of tourism, the improvement of the system of education, and other teen issues."

Miss Teen Philippines 2005 was launched at nine selected sites in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. About 25 candidates competed before a panel of judges in the regional pre-qualifications held in SM Malls.

From these regional pre-qualifications, 40 finalists were chosen to represent their respective regions and competed in the Miss Teen Philippines 2005 National Pageant held last May 24 at the AFP Theater.