It was in August 2018 when Andi Eigenmann revealed that she was in a *new* relationship. In our Cosmo Up Close feature, the then-28-year-old star gushed about her beau and said, "I'm dating someone! He's a professional surfer from Siargao. He's been a friend for about a year now. It's a new relationship, so we're taking things really, really slow. But because we were already friends, the foundation is there. There's no pressure. It's really just built around surfing and the island life…eating fish."
And as we know by now, her boyfriend and now-fiancé is none other than professional surfer Philmar Alipayo. To know more about Philmar, here are some fast facts we found out!
1. Philmar is not just a professional surfer, he's a CHAMPION!
In September 2017, he made history by winning the 19th Siargao National Surfing Cup, the first-ever Philippine Surfing Championship Tour sanctioned event, which is also patterned after the Word Surf League.
2. He has two sons from previous relationships.
Philmar's oldest child is named Toro and lives with him in Siargao, while his second son, Kanoa, currently resides in France with his mother.
3. Philmar might not have known that Andi was *famous* at first!
During an interview for Tonight With Boy Abunda, Andi shared that she met Philmar while she was on vacation in Siargao. When Tito Boy asked if Philmar realized that she was a ~celebrity~, Andi said, "I'm not sure. Kasi hindi naman sila mahilig sa TV doon. Tapos doon, sa kanya rin naman nagpapa-picture yung mga tao. May time pa nga ako yung pinapahawak niya ng camera." LOL, so cute!
4. Philmar and Andi have two kids together!
On July 23, 2019, Philmar and Andi welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Lilo. She's now known as one of the cutest celebrity babies with her parents fondly showing off her ~wild child~ personality on social media!
The couple welcomed Koa, their second child together (And Andi's first son!), on January 17, 2021! On the day he was born, Andi surprised Philmar with a heart-warming love letter that reads:
"Mahal, here we go again. Hope you are as happy as I am that our baby is on the way. Thank you so much for everything! Thank you for always being by my side, for being my biggest support, for helping me to be strong and brave, and for inspiring me to be the best parent I can be to our kids. I am the happiest since you asked me to be yours forever and to be your partner in life, as we go through this experience with you. My kids are very lucky to have you as their papa. I love you!"
5. Philmar is also close with Andi's first-born Ellie!
Ellie is Andi's nine-year-old daughter with her former boyfriend Jake Ejercito. In an interview on Magandang Buhay in 2019, Philmar was asked if he and Ellie were close, with him answering, "Yes, after one hour lang siguro noong dumating kami sa Manila, nagda-drawing na kami, naghu-hula hoop." Philmar has become Ellie's resident surfing instructor and even surfs every day whenever she's on the island! "Ayaw niyang huminto mag-surf. Sinasabi ko, 'Gutom na ako.' Sasabihin niya, 'Okay. Let's go home,'" Philmar shared.
6. Philmar used to be *terrified* of Andi's mom, Jaclyn Jose.
His ~fear~ over the *iconic* award-winning actress even led to him having nightmares about her, LOL! But once he finally met her in-person, his nerves did calm down. "Mabait naman yung nanay ko. Mukha lang siyang masungit pero super bait ng mom ko," Andi shared about her mom.
In fact, Jaclyn is super-proud of how her daughter has been raising her kids and posted a lovable throwback photo of her and Andi. In her post dated March 2021, she wrote: "Anak hinahangaan kita sa kung meron ka [na] buhay ngayon...napakatapang mo sana ako din. Ang ganda ng pagpapalaki mo sa mga bata sorry sa lahat [ng] pagkukulang ko. Anak mahal na mahal kita at support ko lahat ng ginagawa mo...mag-ingat palagi."
7. Philmar knows how to deal with bashers (aka ignore them).
In December 2018 via Instagram Stories, Andi posted a photo of Philmar and said, "So so so happy to spend this life with you. Thanks for ignoring what others say and focusing your attention to what matters most—how I feel. Nobody has the right to tell me you are not the one for me because they don't know you at all."
8. Philmar and Andi announced their engagement on December 20, 2020.
After a couple of years of dating and two kids together, Philmar popped the question to Andi while their family was on a holiday trip. Initially, Andi just thought Philmar called her to have a "talk," but to her surprise, he got down on one knee and proposed to her! Their engagement story was posted on their Happy Islanders vlog.
On Instagram, Philmar gushed about his new fiancée and wrote, "She said YES! I love you so much. So happy to spend the rest of my life with you. Promise to take care of you, Ellie, Lilo, and our coming baby number three and to make you laugh more and more every day."
9. They document the life of their ~blended family~ on their Happy Islanders vlog.
The YouTube channel was only started two years ago, but it already has over two million subscribers! From their many island activities in Siargao to their lockdown in Manila, the family of five keeps us fans and followers updated on their chill, simple, and *happy* family life.
10. And lastly, here's Philmar and Andi's very *first* picture together.
Instead of your typical bouquet of flowers, Philmar sweetly gave Andi a leafy bouquet of pechay! Writing on Instagram, he said, "Our first pic! Remember I gave you pechay instead of a flower. I miss you, my love."
