Aiko Melendez and Onemig Bondoc are now engaged
Actress Aiko Melendez and actor Onemig Bondoc are now engaged after finding their way back to each other nearly three decades after they first fell in love.
Melendez confirmed their engagement in an Instagram post on Oct. 7, revealing that she said yes to Bondoc after he proposed to her at the grave of her late father, actor Jimi Melendez.
“29 years later… I said YES,” Melendez wrote. "Today, I am engaged to the man who has somehow been part of my story for almost three decades."
The actress looked back on their long history, saying their relationship was never a straight line. The two met and fell in love when they were younger before going their separate ways and living different lives.
“And maybe that was exactly how our story was supposed to unfold,” she wrote.
Melendez said Bondoc returned to her life when both of them were already in a place of peace and stability, adding that there was no pressure or circumstance forcing them to choose each other.
“That is why I know in my heart that I am marrying this man for the right reasons,” she wrote. “Not because I have to. Not because circumstances tell me to. But because I genuinely, wholeheartedly choose him.”
She also said their relationship now centers on the “peace, the laughter, the friendship, the comfort, and the quiet certainty” they feel when they are together.
“Some love stories begin with once upon a time,” Melendez wrote. “Ours began 29 years ago, took a very long detour, and somehow found its way back.”
Bondoc also shared a Youtube video documenting the proposal, including the moment where he got down on one knee.
“Lahat kinausap ko na simula sa mommy mo, sa kapatid mo, sa dalawa mong anak, nakausap ko na. Pinakahuli kong kinausap tatay mo,” Onemig told Aiko.“Kaya tayo nandito ngayon sabi ko [handle] mo naman ako sa daddy mo kasi siyempre siya 'yung last, and since feeling ko naman sabi mo nga boto siya sa atin so I decided to pop the question."
Melendez and Bondoc were part of the same friend group in their youth, during which Bondoc pursued the actress. Though their early attempt at romance fell through—with Melendez later admitting she once stood him up in Subic after he waited three hours—they remained connected.
Both eventually moved on to other relationships. Melendez was previously married to actors Jomari Yllana and Martin Jickain, while Bondoc was married to Valerie Bariou. Melendez also had a longtime relationship with Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun, which ended in 2025. Both Melendez and Bondoc have since clarified that their previous marriages were annulled.
Their paths crossed again when Melendez was looking for a guest for her YouTube channel. A friend suggested Bondoc, who was then being considered for a showbiz comeback, but Melendez initially hesitated because she believed the actor still had some resentment toward her and knew he had a girlfriend at the time. She eventually messaged him, but Bondoc gave several reasons for declining and never followed up.
Two years later, Melendez invited Bondoc to guest on her channel again, and this time, he agreed. During their conversation, Bondoc unexpectedly asked if she was getting married. When Melendez revealed that she had broken up with her partner, Bondoc called her, marking the beginning of their renewed communication.
The couple rekindled their romance in 2026, with Bondoc first sparking dating rumors in January when he posted a photo of the two with the caption, “Happy together… after 29 yrs.” They later confirmed their relationship in February.