Meet Aiko Melendez’s Parents: Jimi Melendez and Elsie Blardony

Aiko Melendez is a Filipino actress and politician whose screen career began in childhood and who now serves on the Quezon City Council. Her parents, Jimi Melendez and Elsie Blardony, shaped the creative, supportive household she grew up in.

Born Mary Aiko Shimoji Melendez on December 16, 1975, in Quezon City, Philippines, she is 50 years old and a Sagittarius. She is Filipino, with Filipino, Spanish, and Japanese ancestry through her father.

She practices Born Again Christianity, having converted in 2013. Her siblings are her paternal half-brother Jam Melendez and her sisters Michiko Melendez and Ericka Melendez, also listed as Michiko Castañeda and Ericka Castañeda.

Aiko began acting as a child star in the early 1980s under Regal Films, billed simply as Aiko in Santa Claus is Coming to Town (1982). She attended Saint Mary’s College of Quezon City and later earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts, Major in Journalism, from Philippine Women’s University in 2023. Her net worth is between $1 million and $5 million.

She served on the Quezon City Council for the 2nd district from 2001 to 2010 and returned in 2022 as a councillor for the 5th district.

She stands 165 cm (5 feet 5 inches) tall. Aiko married actor Jomari Yllana in 2000, and the marriage ended in 2003. She married Martin Jickain in 2006, and that marriage has also ended. She has no husband at present, and she is engaged to actor Onemig Bondoc.

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Her two children are Andrei Yllana, whom she had with Jomari, and Marthena Jickain, whom she had with Martin. Her dating history includes Patrick Meneses from 2008 to 2011, Mario Claudio in 2015, Shahin Alimirzapour in 2016, Zambales representative Jay Khonghun, and Onemig.

Jimi Melendez

Jimi Melendez, born Jim Shinoji and also credited as Jimmy Melendez, is the father of Aiko Melendez. He worked as a Filipino actor and has Spanish and Japanese ancestry, which accounts for the mixed heritage on Aiko’s paternal side.

Jimi appeared in films during the early 1980s, among them Bihagin: Bilibid Boys (1981), Rocco, ang batang bato (1982), and No Other Love (1982). Aiko entered the industry in the same period, so father and daughter were building screen careers side by side. His work in showbusiness is widely credited with sparking her interest in acting.

Jimi also has a son, Jam Melendez, with Deborah Sun. Jam is Aiko’s paternal half-brother and also went into show businessl.

Elsie Blardony

Elsie Blardony is the mother who raised Aiko Melendez. She has stayed out of the public eye, and her name is far less recognized than her daughter’s.

Described as a steady source of encouragement, Elsie backed Aiko’s ambitions from childhood. This support gave the young actress a stable base while she balanced a growing showbiz career with family life.

Aiko has carried the family’s entertainment legacy into a third generation. Her son, Andrei Yllana, has ventured into acting, while her daughter, Marthena Jickain, is studying at Ateneo de Manila University after completing a summer law course at Oxford University.

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