It all started with a Facebook post, reportedly from a makeup artist named Ria Gamboa, that a couple’s wedding was at Balesin Island Club was ‘bumped off” to supposedly accommodate the wedding of Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero and actress Heart Evangelista.
The post did not mention any names, but many speculated that it referred to Evangelista and Escudero, who got engaged just last month.
READ: ENGAGED: Heart Evangelista and Chiz Escudero
The “bumped-off” couple was later revealed to be TV host Cesca Litton and her fiancé Tyke Kalaw. PEP.ph reports that Litton even sent a statement to Aquino and Abunda Tonight revealing that she and Kalaw had already inspected the site and done food tasting.
However, in the statement published on Balesin’s official website, Alphaland chairman Roberto Ongpin said his attention was called by his daughter on the Facebook post alleging that a planned wedding on February 14, 2015 was postponed because “a celebrity-politician couple wanted theirs on the same day.”
Below is Ongpin’s full statement:
“I am presently in Europe, but my daughter Anna and nephew Apa have just called my attention to a Facebook entry in which someone claimed that their friends were “bumped off” for their proposed February 14 (Valentine’s Day) wedding at Balesin. At first, I was amused by the report, but it seems to be getting some traction and I wanted to set the record straight for everyone.
I wish everyone to know that it was I who actually invited Heart and Chiz to have their wedding at Balesin when I had dinner with them shortly after they returned from their trip to Paris sometime in July and even before they announced their formal engagement.
I was therefore very pleased when Chiz and Heart called me a few weeks ago to tell me that they had finally decided on Balesin as their wedding venue. As many of you know, both Chiz and Heart have been friends of mine for some time now. Balesin is one of their favorite places and they go there quite often with their families and friends.
After receiving the confirmation from Chiz and Heart, I immediately checked with our Reservations people who told me that nobody had actually confirmed February 14 as of that time, so I told them to block it off. So, nobody has been ‘bumped off.’
I think Heart and Chiz prefer the Royal Villa (which is presently under construction and will be completed by October), but they are also thinking about Toscana Village, which is quite a magnificent venue for a wedding.
Actually, as long as the wedding parties do not consist of a thousand people, but only a few hundred guests, we can accommodate more than one wedding party at Balesin, even during peak season.
I have dictated this to my secretary from Europe because I think it is a serious matter in which innocent people are being unfairly criticized, and in order to settle the issue once and for all.”
“Meanwhile, in separate interviews, both Escudero and Evangelista said they have nothing to do with the supposed bumping off of a planned wedding in Balesin,” reports ABS-CBNnews.com.
Screengrab from Heart Evangelista’s Instagram page
Reader Interactions