"Kailangan pa bang sabihin yon?" she asks.
In America, they are open about it, she is told.
She sighs dramatically and then proceeds to answer the question, "Annually?"
Guffaws break among the media interviewees.
Ai Ai need not state the obvious.
She is the Comedy Queen, she is also labeled as the Concert Queen and the TV Sitcom Queen. She hosts several TV talk shows, she endorses assorted products and even politicians. She can afford a lipo (she had her boobs augmented) and she lives in a comfortable subdivision where an uncouth neighbor will most likely hear from her lawyer.
Her kids’ future is assured by trust funds and they are likely to inherit a sizable real estate courtesy of an investment-conscious single super mom.
The signs of a good life?
She has a Jaguar (from her disposable income), her three children study in exclusive schools where she is a star even in PTA (Parent-Teachers Association) meetings. She ranks No. 6 among the top taxpayers from showbiz (Dolphy is reportedly No. 1, Kris Aquino isNo. 7. Get the picture?)
With her income soaring to the skies, she doesn’t need guarantors to get a bank loan.
Her followers are not just the CD crowd but curious and amused sectors from the AB sector who approach her while watching a show in Shangri-La and say in proper English, "Can we have a picture with you? My daughter is so fond of you."
Ai Ai says that all she got when she was not yet Box Office Queen was a polite "Hi" and a curious stare.
She is appearing in a comedy-fantasy film called Volta (an entry in this year’s Manila Film Festival) directed by Wenn Deramas and she hopes that it does well like her previous blockbuster. "Sana but only God knows," she says.
This is her first fantasy film and she’s looking forward to seeing herself flying (at least on screen) and figuring out in a lot of animation scenes. "I am excited to see how I look like with special effects," she says.
Director Wenn Deramas points out Volta is not just about special effects. "It has a good story that everyone can follow and it’s about family which all of us have," he says.
How is Ai Ai on the set and what’s unique about her as a person and co-worker?
Another comedienne in Volta, stage actress Eugene Domingo, says that Ai Ai can relate to her co-workers even beyond the set. "Masarap siyang katrabaho kasi she listens and doesn’t pay attention to herself but on how to give the best to an entire scene. In other words, she is not selfish at hindi nagpapabida even if, literally, she is, in Volta.’ She still finds time to text you even after the film is done. Yong pagkatao niya is real and unique in every sense of the word," Eugene says.
Direk Wenn Deramas notes, "When you work with Ai Ai, it’s strange because parang hindi siya artista. Ang ibig sabihin niyan wala siyang arte sa katawan and very sensitive sa kapwa niya. One time, we were shooting atop a roof and I wanted to change angle and it was drizzling. I told her come down for a while but she insisted on staying on the rooftop until the scene was done. I told her, ‘Bakit ang sarap mong katrabaho?’ She answered: ‘Kasi pag nag-uusap na kayong mga direktor, gusto kong sabihin mo sa kanila na you have worked with Ai Ai at hindi kita pinarusahan."
Her quasi-leading man in the film, Diether Ocampo observes, "She is so professional and very humble."
A guest actor in the movie (and in Ai Ai’s sitcom) oblivious of her showbiz status is presidential candidate Eddie Gil who is one of those Ai Ai rescues from evil in the film. Eddie Gil often wondered why Ai Ai is always on the set and several times he actually asked her to read the lines for him.
Unable to take his naiveté, Ai Ai blurted, "What do you mean ako na naman ang nakita mo? Di mo alam na ako ang bida sa pelikulang to? Yong bida sa pelikula gagawin mong dialogue coach mo?"
She said it all in a spirit of fun but the man is naive and lives in his own world of fantasy.
Here are Ai Ai’s answers to simple questions:
What do you think can Eddie Gil contribute to showbiz?
"Katatawanan."
If he won, what do you think would happen to this country?
"Lulubog tayo sa kumunoy."
While she is hearing the compliments and regaling stories about Eddie Gil, she appears to be in high spirits.
Her smile belies a punishing day-to-day hectic schedule.
When her call time is seven in the morning, she wakes up at six and shoots all morning only to stop to report to her noontime show, Magandang Tanghali Bayan. Then she goes back to shooting. She gets a few hours of sleep and is back to the next day’s hectic routine.
She admits, "I am perennially haggard and it’s bad for the skin but I enjoy the perks."
Whatever her schedule is, she finds time for her children whom she recently treated to a shopping spree in Bangkok.
What does it take to be a successful single working mother?
As a mother, she is strict and in her own words, "slightly friendly."
Her priority is non-negotiable. "I want them to study first and I wouldn’t encourage them to go into showbiz at any point in their lives. Life in showbiz can be cruel. You are needed when you are on top but once everyone has outlived your usefulness, you find yourself alone," she explains.
She says it takes a special kind of courage to make it as a successful single mom. "Yon ngang kumpleto ang pamilya hirap na hirap, yon pa kayang nag-iisa? God knows it‘s tough but you have to cope very well for the sake of your children. The biggest challenge is mapalaki mong maayos yong mga anak mo."
With comic glee, she declares, "So far, victorious naman sila."
But how does she manage without a man in the house?
She turns pensive and slowly replies, "When everything is over and you manage by yourself, you realize you wanted a separation not because of the children but mainly because you have other reasons. The lessons from that relationship? I realized that you can maintain an orderly, fairly happy family life without a man in the house. Perhaps I used the wrong reason just to fight for a space I badly needed for myself. No, I am not bitter about my past relationship. We are even friends now. I help him when I can, slightly."
These are all you can figure out from a comedienne who used to host parties in a garage during her struggling days.
It takes more than talent to stay long in showbiz.
Offhand, Ai Ai credits everyone for her staying power from her manager Boy Abunda to supportive press and producers.
She concludes, "Best of all, I would like to thank the Lord for everything. After what I went through in life, I am convinced that this successful career is His way of telling me that He loves me."