Vic, Pauleen engaged to wed late this year

MANILA, Philippines - It’s confirmed: Vic Sotto and girlfriend Pauleen Luna are engaged.

The confirmation came from Vic himself yesterday afternoon during a press conference for CitiGlobal Development Inc. of which he’s an ambassador.

Asked if it was true that he and Pauleen were engaged, Vic said, “Yes, we are,” but he refused to give more details, saying, “we will do so sa tamang panahon (at the right time),” quoting the popular line often delivered by Wally Bayola’s character Lola Nidora in the smash-hit kalyeserye AlDub of Eat, Bulaga!, the GMA noontime show in which Vic is among the hosts.

According to The STAR source, Vic has just given Pauleen a three-carat Solitaire engagement ring that he bought in Hong Kong last week. It was one of Vic’s rare trips abroad without Pauleen.

“Pauleen was wearing the ring when she left last night for the US to attend her cousin’s wedding,” confirmed Lolit Solis, Pauleen’s manager, to The STAR. “She will be away for only five days.”

It was The STAR that reported the scoop about Vic and Pauleen going steady three years ago, a relationship that they kept secret only for a while until forced by the movie press to admit it.

Vic, 60, first met Pauleen, 26, years ago when Pauleen competed in Little Miss Philippines, a beauty contest for little girls on Eat, Bulaga! With missing front teeth, Pauleen was so cute that she easily caught the fancy of Vic; so small that she barely reached beyond Vic’s hips.

A few months ago, it was also The STAR that first reported that Vic spent a weekend in Boracay without Pauleen, with only his four children, two with his ex-wife Dina Bonnevie, one with Coney Reyes and one with Angela Luz. It was during that family outing that Vic reportedly asked the permission of his children to marry Pauleen.

The same source said that the wedding is “definitely set before end of this year.” Vic is said to prefer having it abroad while Pauleen would rather have it here. The only question now is the date and the place.