Raelene Elaine Villania-Arellano[a] (born June 29, 1986), known professionally as Iya Villania-Arellano (Tagalog:[ˈʔijabilˈjaɲɐʔɐrɛlˈjanɔ]), is a Filipino-Australian singer, actress, model, dancer, and television presenter. She has been widely known for her work as a VJ in the music channel MYX and as the Chika Minute and Chika in a Minute segment anchor in GMA's primetime newscast 24 Oras.
Early and personal life
Raelene Elaine Villania,[1] the last of three siblings,[2] was born on June 29, 1986, in Sydney, Australia.[1] She was raised by Filipino parents, Ray Villania and Elena Nada Ebaler.[3] Villania's interest in music started when her father sang karaoke when she was a child. She used to be a member of a touring band in Australia called Iron & Clay that address issues in schools and churches such bullying, drunk driving, and self-esteem. Later, she returned to the Philippines and attended high school at Colegio San Agustin in Makati, graduating In 2004.[4] She attended college at De La Salle University – Manila majoring in psychology and graduated on December 16, 2008.[5]
In 2004, Villania began dating television presenter Drew Arellano.[6] They married in Nasugbu, Batangas in January 2014.[7] The couple have four children: Antonio Primo (born August 30, 2016),[8] Alonzo Leon (born August 19, 2018),[9] Alana Lauren (born July 18, 2020),[10] and Astro Phoenix (born June 4, 2022).[11] In September 2024, the couple announced they are expecting their fifth child.[12]
Villania is an advocate for abstaining from sex before marriage. She divulged that she had not had sexual intercourse before marrying Arellano, who himself was supportive of her decision. Although she does not necessarily condemn women who has had intercourse, she remarked that virginity is "something that a girl can be proud of".[13] She was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[14][15] In January 2022, Villania, alongside Arellano and their three children, tested positive for COVID-19.[16][17][18]
Career
Villania's first television appearance in the Philippines was In 2003 on the IBC interactive program "Game Channel". After she gained a "cult" following, the management team of GMA Network took notice and cast her in the daytime drama Walang Hanggan. She then played the role of Sydney Torres in the third and fourth seasons of the iconic teen series Click.
In 2004, she moved to GMA's rival network ABS-CBN and was announced as one of the new VJ's for their subsidiary music channel Myx. She would remain in the job for 10 years. Subsequently, she was regularly featured in the variety show ASAP. Villania's feature film debut was in the 2004 drama "A Beautiful Life" alongside acclaimed actresses Gloria Romero, Dina Bonnevie and Amy Austria. In the same year, Villania appeared in the critically acclaimed historical film Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita. Her run as host on ABS-CBN included co-hosting the noontime game show Wowowee from its premiere in February 2005 until June 2006, the two seasons of the reality dance competition show U Can Dance in 2006 and 2007, the reality show I Dare You In 2011 and her two-year stint on ABS-CBN's morning show Umagang Kay Ganda. Villania also hosted the Studio 23 lifestyle program Us Girls from 2006 to 2012. In 2008, she released her first album, Finally! under Viva Records.
After signing an executive contract with GMA Network in October 2014, Villania made a part of Sunday All Stars (2013–2015), a variety show. This marked her return to GMA Network after a decade in ABS-CBN.[19] In June 2015, she joined the newscast 24 Oras as its Chika Minute segment anchor, replacing Pia Guanio.[20]
Popular culture
She accidentally popularized a now very common Filipino slang greeting "haller/heller" in place of "hello". This was credited to her distinctive and then-unfamiliar Australian twang in her early showbiz career years. On her show, Game Channel - Filipino viewers misheard her intro greeting as though she's saying "Heller!".[21]
