Cesca Litton loses wedding venue to Heart Evangelista?

(UPDATE) TV host Cesca Litton is now looking for another wedding venue, after reports that newly-engaged couple Sen. Chiz Escudero and Heart Evangelista will be getting married at the venue she had been eyeing for months now.

In a statement sent to “Aquino & Abunda Tonight” on Tuesday, September 2, Cesca claimed that Chiz and Heart “had been approved” for February 14, 2015 in the exclusive island of Balesin, which is the same date and venue she and fiancé Tyke Kalaw already planned to hold their wedding.

“It came as a surprise when I received a phone call from my coordinator just last Saturday that Chiz and Heart had been approved for February 14 after they had spoken to the owner Mr. Ongpin to reserve the date. Had we known that all it took was a call to the owner, then perhaps none of those formalities should have been followed,” Cesca said in her statement.

Related story: The grandeur that is Balesin

The TV host said that they already had few oculars in Balesin and were always told that February 14 was available. Cesca added that they have already discussed with the management the logistics for their supposed February 14 wedding, but she did not mention if they already paid the reservation.

“In all our trips to Balesin and discussions with management asking to reserve February 14, 2015, we were always told it was available. We would not have invested time and money, including flying out our coordinator and stylist, had they informed us that the venue was booked from the beginning,” she said.

Balesin’s chairman Roberto Ongpin, on the other hand, spoke about the incident.

“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,” Ongpin said in a statement in Balesin's website and Facebook account.

Ongpin added that “nobody has been bumped off,” claiming that he was told by the reservation staff that nobody confirmed the said date.

“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,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chiz and Heart denied the alleged bump off. Chiz and Heart reportedly said that they do not have a planned wedding date and venue yet.

“There’s no truth to it. I think that’s the best way that I could answer that. In fact, if they really wanna look into it, go ahead and check Balesin. We’re not like that. This is the best day of our lives, I’m a bride-to-be, she’s a bride-to-be. Who would do that to any bride-to-be? There’s no truth to it and I hope ma-iron out nila,” Heart told Philippine Entertainment Portal.

“Aquino & Abunda Tonight” guest host Toni Gonzaga said that Heart tried to reach out to Cesca regarding the issue.