Nadia Montenegro got heads turning and mouths talking after posting a photo on Instagram showing her surrounded by her children.
“My Army!! Protected! Strong & Faithful,” wrote Nadia as a caption.
Putting out family pictures on social media is a common practice, but the timing of Nadia’s post piqued the curiosity of netizens.
Some showbiz enthusiasts couldn’t help but draw parallels to Baron Geisler’s recent revelation about his previously undisclosed daughter.
Some were astonished to learn that Nadia and the late politician Macario “Boy” Asistio Jr. raised eight children together.
Their children, namely Alyssa, Alynna, Alyana, Anykka, Xander, Samantha, Ayisha, and Sophia, are now grown-ups, with three of them venturing into show business.
Get to know more about the Asistio siblings here.
ALYSSA ASSANDRA
Alyssa Assandra, or Yssa, is the eldest among the Asistio siblings.
She has a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the Centro Escolar University (CEU).
Yssa is married to Mac London and loves to post family moments on social media.
“Having someone who can handle all your moods is such a blessing. I’m so blessed! Thank you I want you to know you’re doing great,” read Yssa’s appreciation post for Mac in September 2022.
ALYNNA ALEXANDRIA
Alynna Alexandra, nicknamed Ynna, attended CEU for college and finished Mass Communication Major in Broadcasting.
She followed in her mother’s footsteps, joining showbiz in 2006.
She is still visible on TV, and has been busy vlogging as well.
Ynna’s became part of the series Mga Mata ni Anghelita, La Vendetta, Reel Love: Tween Hearts, Maria Mercedes, On the Wings of Love, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, and Ang Daigdig Ko’y Ikaw.
Ynna was romantically linked to actors Mark Herras and Derek Ramsay.
Ynna and Mark dated for five year, then broke up in July 2013.
On Derek, Ynna said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Buzz ng Bayan in November 2013 that she was just friends with the actor and that she was not thinking of entering a relationship at the time.
Ynna talked about Derek again in a chat with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) that same month.
“Ganun yung labas namin, never akong mag-isa.”
Ynna married Waldolf “Bully” Carbonell in an intimate civil wedding ceremony on August 8, 2022, in Muntinlupa City Hall.
ALYANA ALISSANDRA
Also in showbiz is Alyana Alissandra or Yana.
She was seen in the series Wagas and The World Between Us, and the movies Just the 3 of Us and She’s Dating the Gangster.
Yana took up Culinary Arts at the International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management.
She once lamented how netizens can be weight-obsessed to the point of being rude and insensitive especially to public figures.
Yana wrote on Instagram in April 2023 (published as is), “I don’t understand what the problem is with me gaining weight. I own a restaurant and I’m also a chef…What am I suppose to do, stare at my dishes?”
She continued, “It’s so frustrating to hear these questions when you know deep inside you’re working your ass off to get the confidence back.”
“Nung naghiwalay kami ni Mark, nagkakilala kami ni D through Instagram and uhm, yun po,” said Ynna.
“Lumabas kami pero never kasi nagkaroon ng time na lumabas kami na kaming dalawa lang.
“Talagang hindi rin naman po ako puwedeng lumabas ng ako lang. So, it’s either kasama ko yung mga kapatid ko or kapatid ko.
ANYKKA ALLANDRA
Just like her mom and sisters, Anykka is also active in show business and viewers remember her for the films 100 Tula Para Kay Stella, Amnesia Love, and Indak.
Anykka has a Political Science degree from CEU.
In 2011, Anykka, along with her sister Alyana, got dragged into a legal dispute between their mom, Nadia, and Annabelle Rama.
Annabelle was managing the careers of the Asistio sisters at the time.
Nadia accused Annabelle of “child abuse,” alleging that the latter was forcing her children to work long hours detrimental to their studies.
The two exchanged bards in the media and filed cases against each other.
It was reported in June 2013 that Annabelle would be withdrawing the court cases after Nadia apologized to her, saying that she was “brainwashed” to take the talent manager to court by another celebrity parent.
ANTONIO ALEXANDER
Nadia’s only son Xander finished Political Science at Far Eastern University.
His real name is Antonio Alexander Asistio.
Xander loves sports, and he’s into basketball and biking. He is also fond of singing and traveling.
SAMANTHA GRACE
“I love singing. I love playing the guitar. I love using my ukelele, and I love writing songs.”
This is how Samantha Grace describes herself in her Facebook account profile.
Samantha auditioned in 2017 for season one of ABS-CBN’s reality singing competition The Voice Teens, singing the Ebe Dancel original “Huwag Ka Nang Umiyak.”
Read: Nadia Montenegro burst into tears during daughter’s The Voice Teens audition
AYISHA AND SOPHIA
Ayisha and Sophia have something in common: they are both K-pop fans!
Nadia opened up about Ayisha’s mental health struggles in the past, which ultimately prompted her to turn to spirituality.
On August 14, 2019, Nadia revealed through her interview with Magandang Buhay that Ayisha had completed her “School of Discipleship.”
Nadia beamed, “Magpapastora na po siya.”
She added, “Nag-turnaround yung life niya. She found God.
“And now, she’s a walking testimony, yung kanyang testimony na talagang kahit ano pa mangyari, masaktan tayo, bumagsak tayo, may mawala na mahal sa buhay, lahatin niyo na po lahat…
“Isa lang talaga ang sasalba sa atin, Siya. Wala nang iba talaga.”
Meanwhile, long before dubsmashing gained popularity, Nadia showed PEP.ph a video of Sophia, then a toddler, effortlessly lipsyncing Heart’s 1987 hit “Alone.”
During the interview, Nadia said her youngest would likely pursue a career in performance arts.
However, it appears that Sophia, now 18, is more interested in modeling.
In one of Nadia’s posts, she joked about her bunso’s intense desire to become a “Korean citizen,” too.
