Love is Lovelier the Second Time Around

CEBU, Philippines - Florida, the internationally-acclaimed vacation paradise, was the chosen wedding venue of two high profile Cebuano personalities.

Dr. Maria Cristina Yuvienco Cuenco, a daughter of one of Cebu’s most prominent and influential families, recently exchanged vows with former Cebu student leader and fashion model Victor Ariel Canoy.

The simple, yet solemn exchange of “I dos” took place in the palm-lined backdrop of Clearwater Beach, an upscale locality situated in the Gulf of Mexico’s side of Florida. The ceremony was officiated by Hon. Ken Burke of the Pinellas County Clerk of Court.

Tintin, as the bride is fondly called, is the daughter of former Cebu City Mayor and current Toyota Cebu bigwig Jose “Boy” Cuenco and Minerva Sotto Yuvienco.

So prominent and prestigious is the name attached to the bride that aside from being the daughter of a former city mayor, Tintin is also the granddaughter of two senators: the late Sen. Manuel Cuenco is her paternal grandfather while deceased Sen. Vicente Sotto Sr. is her maternal great-grandfather. Tintin is also the niece of Cebu City south district congressman Antonio V. Cuenco. Her maternal grandmother is former City Councilor Suga Sotto-Yuvienco, a well-known supporter of Cebu media.

The bridegroom on the other hand had been active as student leader and as fashion model in his heydays in Cebu.

Aye, as friends and family call him, is the son of deceased Cebu broadcast legend Vic Canoy and Zenaida E. Canoy. He is a nephew of former San Fernando (Cebu) Mayor Antonio Canoy.

The marriage ceremony was simple, solemn, private and was performed in the tradition of the wedding of John F. Kennedy Jr. to Carolyn Bessette. So private was the ceremony that only a handful of invited guests were on hand to witness the affair.

Standing as principal sponsors were Legacy Medical Center- Orlando chief executive officer Balt Quinain Jr., his wife Dr. Gina Pongos Quinain and Tony Lozada, a Barili (Cebu) native who works in Florida as a registered nurse.

Love indeed knows no boundaries of time and space. Aye and Tintin were high school sweethearts. The two were separated when she left Cebu to continue with her studies in the United States.

The two have not heard from each other for 25 years until fate led them to cross each other’s path once again in the United States.

Aye has two children from a previous marriage while Tintin has one. The two currently reside in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the bride works as an internist at the VA Hospital in St. Petersburg. (CONTRIBUTED)