IF YOU TALK TO CLOTILDE ?LANI? ILIO, it?s not hard to imagine why she?s Angel Locsin?s best friend. Like the lovely actress, the 27-year-old nurse is as courteous as she is cautious. As they say, you are who your friends are?and Angel is no exception.

So, after Angel?s ever-accommodating manager, Manay Ethel Ramos, tipped us on whom to get in touch with for this section?s special occasional feature?in which family and close friends talk about the private lives of celebrities?we got Lani to take a break from the campaign trail (her father is Mayor Joji Ilio of Malinao, Aklan) to talk about the publicity-shy, Emmy-nominated actress, whom she met on the set of Vic Sotto?s TV sitcom, ?Daddy DiDoDu,? in the early 2000s.

Long hours

Lani recalls, ?Angel was just starting in show biz then, and I was likewise dabbling in acting?though my father didn?t approve of it. But, we got very close when I began working at the office of Tita Becky Aguila (Angel?s former manager). My dad didn?t like the long hours, so I had to take another job in Makati.?

Angel hasn?t changed much since her days with ?Click,? Lani claims: ?Sa personality, walang nagbago sa kanya. The only difference now is that she?s become so famous we can?t go malling anymore. When we go out these days, pili na ang mga lugar. Or, we hang out at home and watch DVDs. Angel is a homebody, she doesn?t like going out a lot, though we?ve been going to her bar, Fuel Up, more often lately.?

What are some things we don?t know about Angel? Lani lets out a soft chuckle, ?Si Angel kasi, may mga trip ?yan minsan. Once, she pleaded, ?Goy (for unggoy, their term of endearment), sleep-over ka dito sa bahay. When I got there, I couldn?t find her anywhere! ?Yun pala, she was just in her customized Savannah van, where we watch DVDs until the wee hours. Sometimes, we stay in her bathroom?naglalatag kami ng mattress and have a picnic there.

?Angel is thoughtful and affectionate. Hindi ka n?ya pababayaan. ?Pag may nang-aaway sa ?yo, s?ya ang susugod? ganoon s?ya ka-protective. She doesn?t like seeing her loved ones get hurt. When I asked her about this, she answered, ?Ayokong mandamay ng ibang tao, at ayokong problemahin nila ang problema ko.? She confides in Ate Ella (Angel?s older sister), but I do my share. When she?s feeling down, I make sure she knows that I?m there for her.

Video-game console

?When we?re together, Gel doesn?t make me feel like she?s the star she is. Simple things make her happy: We eat and talk a lot?or, nagra-Rock Band kami sa Wii (Nintendo?s home video-game console).?

What?s one controversy that really upset Angel? Lani carefully phrases her answer, ?I saw her cry over one rumor recently: You see, Angel finds fulfillment when she gets to extend a helping hand to needy people in her own, small way?but she doesn?t want it publicized. During ?Ondoy? last year, one reporter maliciously claimed that the money Angel used to help typhoon victims came from an affluent Chinese businessman! That really hurt her. She said, ?Bakit ganun? That was my money?and I worked hard for it!? Doon ko talaga s?ya nakitang humagulgol sa loob ng kotse.

?Truth is, she wants to pay it forward. She wants to help the children of Mindanao?which is why she went there with Ate Ella and Kuya Nardie?to give notebooks. Unknown to many, Gel wants to be a teacher. Once, she told me, ??Goy, let?s take up education, for the kids! Then, we can put up our own preschool. When I was reviewing for the board exams, she would download Q&As from the Internet and say, ?Goy, i-review mo ?yan. Naawa sa akin, because she?d always see me carrying heavy textbooks all the time (laughs). That?s how sweet Angel is.

?Last month, she paid me a surprise visit in Aklan. I woke up one morning at around 7 a.m.?and Gel was there! Siguro, na-miss n?ya ako (laughs)! She stayed with me for three days, and we went to Boracay. That sweet gesture was truly touching, because I knew how busy she was.?

Romances

Is she privy to Angel?s romances? Lani quickly quips, ?Yes (laughs)! Actually, I?ve been her constant chaperone for sometime, so halos lahat, alam ko.? Can she name some of Angel?s crushes? She discloses conspiratorially, ?She likes Vin Diesel?and many of her other crushes are wrestlers!?

Angel tries not to get affected by intrigues. Lani explains, ?Usually, dinidedma n?ya ang mga intriga?even when they?re below-the-belt. She simply doesn?t talk about them.?

What is Angel like when she?s in love? Lani replies, ?Hindi s?ya nagpaparamdam sa akin (laughs)! When she?s heartbroken, she keeps quiet?then, lalabas ?yan. Dinaramdam n?ya, pero hindi n?ya pinapakitang naaapektuhan s?ya masyado, kasi ayaw n?yang nakikitang malungkot. Noong nag-break sila ni Luis (Manzano), ilang weeks na ang lumipas, pero hindi pa rin alam sa bahay nila!?

Is Angel the marrying kind? Lani discloses, ?When she was in her early 20s, one of Angel?s goals was to get married by the time she reached 25. Pero, nagbago na ang planong ?yon ngayon (laughs)?pausog ng pausog! Now, she?s just enjoying herself!?