TV host Ali Sotto had a heart-to-heart talk with AJ Perez's mother, Marivic Perez, last night at Christ the King chapel in Green Meadows.

April 19 marked the third night of AJ's wake following a fatal vehicular accident that took place last Sunday, April 17, in Moncada, Tarlac. (CLICK HERE to learn more about the accident.)

Ali herself lost her 21-year-old son, Miko Sotto, on December 29, 2003. Miko fell from the 9th floor of his condominium building in Mandaluyong City.

Ali and her husband Maru Sotto donated their son's corneas to the Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines. Since then, the Starbox host has been actively involved in this advocacy.

The parents of AJ Perez, Gerry and Marivic, have also decided to donate his eyes to the Eye Bank.

They originally wanted to donate his eyes to blind singer Fatima Soriano, but Fatima's eye doctor said that having a corneal transplant would not cure her blindness since it was her retina that was the problem. (CLICK HERE to read related article.)

As a result, one cornea of AJ was given to an eight-year-old boy while  another was given to a 28-year-old male.

In an interview last night during the wake, Ali told PEP and TV Patrol: "Like AJ, Miko also donated yung corneas niya. And I was telling Marivic that it has helped me cope.

"It's comforting to know that yung selfless act mo of donating the corneas ni AJ... It's comforting to know na hindi meaningless yung death ng anak mo."

Ali recalled that Dr. Menguita Padilla of Eye Bank asked her if they could make Miko the "poster boy" for cornea donation.

She revealed, "I was telling Marivic that they might want to consider that, kasi ang sarap ng feeling na...naghahanap ka kasi ng kahulugan, e, because it's very difficult for us to accept na he's so young, full of promise, and gone too soon.

"Si AJ, from what I heard—I did not have the privilege of meeting this beautiful boy—but from all the people who have been privileged enough to meet him, talagang he's a wonderful, wonderful son.

"Yun yung sinasabi ko kay Marivic, [AJ is a] perfect poster boy for cornea donation kasi somebody who's as well-known as him and a role model...mas madadalian ang Eye Bank na lumapit sa mga tao na namatayan pa lamang ng kamag-anak, minamahal sa buhay, at sabihing 'Gusto po ba ninyo i-donate yung cornea?'

"This time, sasabihin, 'Kamukha ng ginawa ni AJ.'"

AJ's MOTHER OPENS UP FOR THE FIRST TIME. ABS-CBN reporter Gretchen Fullido then asked Marivic how she came up with the idea of donating AJ's eyes.