Manila, Philippines — What started as a subtle shade on social media has now turned into a full-blown feud between two respected actresses: Aiko Melendez and Candy Pangilinan. And now, insiders are spilling the tea on what really caused the rift — and it’s more personal than anyone expected.

From quiet tension to explosive exchanges, the once-private clash between the two has become a hot topic in the showbiz world, with fans, netizens, and co-stars taking sides as the real reason behind the drama finally comes to light.

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💥 From Friendship to Fallout

Aiko and Candy were once friendly co-stars, appearing in several projects together and even sharing laughs behind the scenes. But sharp-eyed netizens noticed that things began to shift earlier this year when Candy unfollowed Aiko on Instagram — a move that didn’t go unnoticed.

At first, Aiko played it cool. But in a recent vlog, she cryptically said:

“Some people act like they’re funny in front of you, but laugh at you behind your back. I’m done entertaining fakeness.”

Fans immediately assumed she was referring to Candy.

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😳 The Real Reason? Sources Say It’s About “Professional Disrespect”

According to a trusted insider in the production industry, the root of the issue allegedly began on set during a recent teleserye shoot where both actresses were part of the ensemble cast.

“There was a misunderstanding about lines and billing,” the insider revealed.
“Candy felt disrespected when a script revision seemed to give Aiko more focus. Aiko, in turn, felt Candy was making snide remarks behind the scenes.”

This professional tension allegedly spilled over into their off-cam friendship, leading to heated arguments, ignored messages, and eventually, a full-on silent war.

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🗣️ Candy Fires Back (Subtly)

While Candy Pangilinan hasn’t directly addressed the issue, she recently posted a cryptic quote:

“The loudest one in the room is usually the most insecure. Silence is peace.”

Followers believe this was a jab at Aiko, who has since posted her own rebuttal:

“I’d rather be honest and loud than silent and fake.”

Netizens are now glued to their stories and comment sections, looking for hidden messages and indirect digs.

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🔥 Netizens Take Sides: “Team Aiko” vs “Team Candy”

Social media is now divided between fans of both actresses:

“Aiko tells it like it is. Candy’s acting innocent but she started it.”

“Candy has always been classy and lowkey. She’s just staying away from negativity.”

“Bakit pa kasi nilabas online? Di ba pwedeng ayusin privately?”

The hashtags #AikoVsCandy, #ShowbizClash, and #TunayNaDahilan have been trending for hours.

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🤔 Will They Reconcile? Or Is This the End of Their Friendship?

Insiders close to both stars say that a reconciliation is unlikely — at least for now.

“Too many things were said. Pride is in the way now. Unless one of them publicly apologizes, the friendship is done.”

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Final Thoughts: Two Powerful Women, One Unresolved Conflict

In an industry where loyalty is rare and egos are huge, even strong connections can collapse under the weight of pride, miscommunication, and ambition.

Whether you’re Team Aiko or Team Candy, one thing is certain: this drama is far from over — and everyone’s watching.

Stay tuned. Because in showbiz, the real story always finds its way out

Aiko Melendez, Candy Pangilinan reconcile after silent feud
Aiko Melendez to Candy Pangilinan: “Welcome back to my life.”
Friends Aiko Melendez and Candy Pangilinan have made up after two years of not communicating.

This is the revelation of the two in a video uploaded to Aiko’s YouTube channel yesterday, May 31, 2025.

In the said video titled “REALTALK WITH CANDY PANGILINAN”, the two actresses talked about their conflict and reconciliation. FRIENDSHIP HISTORY
Aiko and Candy were friends when they were still teenagers.

In the video, Aiko told the story of how she met the comedienne when they were still studying at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

“Candy was the first to initiate me into UP when I entered.

“Imagine, ha, she cheated on me. Because he’s from UP Theater Arts, he’s one of the pioneers there,” the actress-politician said.

Aiko allegedly asked Candy for directions to the Theater Arts building but she didn’t speak to her properly.

Aiko said: “He looked at me from head to toe. He seduced me into UP. Then I didn’t know he would become my best friend.”

Since they were both studying Theater Arts, the two became close friends.

They also reminisced about some unforgettable moments of their friendship.

One of these was their collaboration to advance their careers, such as Candy helping evaluate scripts offered to Aiko.

“I used to be her script reader. True,” Candy shared.

Aiko also reportedly requested Candy to be her best friend in a movie with Christopher de Leon.

“I want you to be my best friend because we are really inseparable,” Aiko said.

The movie they were referring to was Hagit Pa Sa Buhay Ko which was released in 1999.NEWS OF MISUNDERSTANDING
The news that the friends had a gap first broke in January 2021.

In Ogie Diaz’s interview with Aiko, the actress admitted that she had been ignoring Candy for a year.

However, she did not reveal the reason for their rift.

“She tried to explain her side, but maybe because of the pain she caused me, I’d rather not hear from her first because I want to heal,” Aiko said.

Aiko hinted that Candy was careless in her speech.

She said: “I would have liked to learn, that someone would learn, that when you are your friend, whether you have been drinking or not, that person should be your friend.

“You don’t become very carefree in saying things, tactless.

“Because me, when I become your friend, I will defend you, whether it’s face to face or back to back.”

Aiko added that she admitted that she and Candy had a fight so that fans wouldn’t ask her why they weren’t seen together anymore.

She said that many people used to ask why Aiko’s vlogging with her friends Candy, Carmina Villarroel, and Gelli de Belen wasn’t followed anymore. Candy, Carmina, and Gelli later had their own podcast and YouTube vlog, but now they are accompanied by Gelli’s sister, Janice de Belen.THE RECONCILIATION
In Aiko and Candy’s new vlog, they said that they can’t remember the reason for their fight.

The comedian concluded that maybe a person she didn’t name was the root of everything.

Candy said: “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, analyzing it. I’ve been thinking about it carefully.

“I’m thinking about someone, that person who thought of me, who until now, I haven’t talked to.

“Because I feel like he’s the one who started the story. Because he’s usually the one who causes a lot of things. I said, maybe he is. That’s all.”

Aiko, on the other hand, said she was happy that their relationship naturally settled down.

She said: “We haven’t seen each other for almost two years and haven’t talked?

“It comes with maturity, ‘no, maybe we came to a point where we don’t need to talk anymore, what went wrong.”

They just met at Greenhills and immediately said hello.

Candy said: “We noticed each other and then Quentin hugged you.

“Then you said, ‘Hey, let’s talk, huh?’ I said, ‘Okay, okay, okay.’ Then you left because you probably had somewhere else to go.”

Quentin is Candy’s son.

After the unexpected meeting, they started talking again via text message.

“We’re like fools!” Aiko said while laughing.THE SILENT WAR
However, Aiko still questioned whether her approach of ignoring her friend for so long was the right one.

He said he didn’t want to confront Candy directly.

Aiko said: “I, to be honest, if I had confronted you back then, maybe we wouldn’t have gotten to this point. Maybe we would have fought, maybe we would have yelled at each other.

“What should we do? Do you think it’s right that we’ve reached this point where we don’t need to talk anymore?

“And then we just trusted that we’d get to this point where we’d be able to make up?” Aiko said.

Candy said she respected this.

She said: “That’s your process, so I can’t judge.

“I can’t say ‘you should have done this,’ because that’s your process, huh.

“That’s how you feel. I cannot judge your emotions.

“I cannot judge how you feel because that’s how you feel, huh.”

Aiko confessed that even though she ignored Candy before, she still wanted to be updated on her life.

Aiko told her friend: “You remember when I blocked you on IG, huh.

“Carmina asked me that, huh. ‘Candy is looking for you, she can’t find you.’

“I said, I blocked her because I don’t want to see you then.

“I’ll admit it for the first time, I miss you. So, I’ll unblock you. Let me see.

“Then I was watching your YouTube channel. I said, ‘Oh, it’s good that her life is going well.’ROADTRIP MOVIE
Aiko also revealed that she was supposed to be in the 2024 movie Roadtrip, which starred Candy, Carmina, Gelli, and Janice.

Candy wrote the script while Andoy Ranay directed. Aiko tearfully said: “When we were conceptualizing that movie, I should have been there, right?

“When you were discussing that movie, I should have been there.”

Aiko admitted that she watched Roadtrip with her boyfriend Jay Khonghun.

She said: “I said, I’m so happy for my best friend, because he’s fulfilled his dream of writing a script.

“Do you know that I’m the happiest person?

“So, after it was released for the first time on Netflix, Jay said, ‘Hey, your friend’s movie is out on Netflix.’

“I said, ‘Oh, really?’ We watched it together.”

Candy promised that she would write a script so that her friend Aiko could be in the movie.

“Don’t worry, we’ll do it,” she said.

“I talked to you, I asked you, right?

“I’ll write again. I’ll write again, don’t worry. You’ll definitely be here with me.”

Finally, Aiko made a promise to Candy.

She said: “Maybe this thing we can’t understand is just one for the books. Maybe it will make our friendship stronger, better.

“And always remember, this is what I promise you, bes. I won’t disappear anymore. Because every step of the way, I’ll be here.

“Welcome back to my life.

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