After bitter falling-out in the past, Anjo Yllana says he’s now ‘best friends’ with Robin Padilla

After finding a new job in the Senate courtesy of Senator Jinggoy Estrada, actor-politician Anjo Yllana said that he was able to renew his friendship with Senator Robin Padilla, with whose family the comedian had a falling-out with in the past.

In an interview with showbiz personality Gorgy Rula over dzRH recently, Yllana said that aside from having his new job, he is also thankful for the opportunity to reunite with his erstwhile adversary, now Senator Robin Padilla, who he famously had a squabble with in the early 1990.

“Magulo nu’n, e. Although hindi naman kami magkaaway, may nangyari lang… Matagal na kaming naging maayos. Civil lang. Siyempre nagkasamaan ng loob, may mga baril-barilan pa nga nung araw,” he said.

Their riff started when Yllana made a joke to Carmine Villaroel, his co-star in the now defunct sitcom “Palibhasa Lalaki” about her then boyfriend Rustom Padilla, the senator’s younger brother whose sexual orientation was being questioned behind the scenes.

While Yllana now claimed that footage was never shown in the sitcom, it nevertheless set things in motion, resulting in Villaroel leaving the program, and the outrage of the Padilla brothers. Over the years, Villaroel and Rustom got married but later separated. Rustom would later identify as a transwoman, using her new name, BB Gandanghari.

But while civil to each other, Yllana and Padilla’s relationship remained strained for years until they crossed paths once again in the Senate. On their recent get-together, the comedian said he was warmly welcomed by Padilla, who even encouraged him to run for senator as well.

“Ang alam ko lang nu’n, panghabambuhay na kaming ‘hi, hello’ na lang o dedma. Matindi kasi ang nangyari nun… Pero nu’ng nagkita kami sa Senado… sabi niya sa akin, ‘Tol, tumakbo ka nang senador.’ Sabi ko, ‘Hindi, pang-local lang ako, hindi ako pang-national.’ Sabi niya, ‘Hindi, mahal ka ng mga tao, tumakbo ka,’” Yllana narrated.

“Natutuwa ako kasi nakikita niya na kaya ko, malapit ako sa tao, pero local lang ako e,” he added. “Ngayon mag-best friend na kami. Sobrang naramdaman ko yung pagmamahal ni Robin. Tuwang-tuwa ako kay Senator Robin Padilla, napakabait.”

Yllana expressed his happiness at having mended his relationship with Padilla and grateful for his new job in the Senate, saying, “Masaya ako dahil nahanap ko ‘yung kaibigan ko at may trabaho na rin ako.”

During the interview, Yllana said also expressed gratitude to Estrada who took him in as an employee in his office while he was struggling to find work even though he has been under contract with Viva Film. His last gig was another hosting job on TV-5 in 2020 shortly after leaving Eat Bulaga, of which he had been a host for 21 years.

Yllana his Senate post gave him his daily source of income while waiting for new project offers from Viva. He said that he decided to reach out to Estrada for help, who finally heeded his call and gave him a contractual position.

“Nag-apply ako kay Senator Jinggoy. Sabi ko, ‘Sen, wala akong trabaho, baka naman puwede.’ E, mga dalawang linggo, tinanggap na niya ako,” he said. “Itong pagpasok ko sa Senado, talagang pangkain ko lang sa araw-araw. Kaya nga empleyado ako dun, pumapasok ako every day.”

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