Michele Gumabao and Aldo Panlilio are engaged | Image: Instagram/@aldopanlilio12
Celebrity athlete and beauty queen Michele Gumabao is now engaged to PBA strength and conditioning coach Aldo Panlilio.
The couple announced their engagement on Instagram by sharing sweet photos of them that show off Gumabao’s engagement ring.
“8/8 celebrating our 8th year, and it’s ♾️ (infinity) with you [ring emoji],” wrote Panlilio in his caption. Gumabao, on the other hand, captioned her post with the same reference, “8 to ♾️ (infinity) with you.”
In its Facebook post, Nice Print Photography, which was hired to take the couple’s official photos, shared that the wedding proposal took place in Tokyo, Japan.
Celebrity friends and fans took to the comments section to extend their congratulations to the couple.
“FINALLY!!! [heart eyes emoji] CONGRATS GUYS!!! [red heart emoji],” former PBB housemate and beauty queen Samantha Bernardo commented.
Kapuso actress Nadine Samonte also wrote, “Yay finally [heart eyes, red heart emojis} congrats again, Chelle and Aldo [heart sign emoji].”
Gumabao’s brother and sister, Marco and Marielle, also reacted to their sibling’s engagement.
“I CAN FINALLY POST TOO [laughing emoji]. I love you guys!!!! [crying, blue heart emojis],” wrote Marielle.
Gumabao and Panlilio met in a restaurant over an arranged date by one of their friends.
“A friend set us up at his restaurant, Sobremesa in Pasig City. I just tagged along and got invites. I already knew of her, so I gave it a chance. As for why Michele gave it a chance? Maybe because (the restaurant) was near her game,” the PBA coach recalled in an interview.
“What he said! Sabi ko sa kanya punta na lang siya! After that, we just kept talking. We talked every day — as in, every day until today!” added Gumabao.
The volleyball player described her now-fiancé as “smart and entertaining.”
Meanwhile, aside from being an athlete, Gumabao is also a beauty pageant titleholder. She was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Globe in 2018. She also finished as the second runner-up during the first edition of Miss Universe Philippines.
Right now, she is signed with the Creamline Cool Smashers of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).