Iya Villania

Iya Villania
Background information
Born	Raelene Elaine Villania June 29, 1986 (age 38) Sydney, Australia
Other name(s)	Iya Villania-Arellano Iya Arellano
Occupation	Singer Actress Model Dancer Television presenter VJ
Years on GMA	2003-2004 2014-present
Spouse	Drew Arellano
Children	Antonio Primo (born 2016) Alonzo Leon (born 2018) Alana Lauren (born 2020) Astro Phoenix (born 2022) Anya Love (born 2025)

Raelene Elaine Villania-Arellano (born June 29, 1986), known professionally as just Iya Villania (or Iya Arellano), 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 segment anchor in GMA's primetime newscast 24 Oras.

Career in GMA

When Iya gained a "cult" following on an IBC program, 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.

She went back to GMA after signing an executive contract with the network In October 2014, and after 10 years with ABS-CBN. She made a part of then-Sunday variety show, Sunday All Stars. In June 2015, she joined the newscast 24 Oras as its Chika Minute segment anchor, replacing Pia Guanio. In 2016, she is one of the hosts of Lip Sync Battle Philippines, alongside Michael V..

In 2017, she became part of the talk show Mars on GMA News TV (later renamed to Mars Pa More when it transferred to GMA Network in 2019), replacing Suzi Entrata-Abrera.

In March 2020, due to the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, she started anchoring her segment in 24 Oras through her home. She went back to the studio in 2022.

Trivia

• 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.
• In 2008, she released her first and only album, Finally! under Viva Records.
• She is married with Drew Arellano in January 2014 after 10 years of love relationship. The couple have four children.