FILE

Fans of actress Bea Alonzo are buzzing online after a Catholic parish appeared to announce traditional marriage banns involving the star and her boyfriend, businessman Ferdinand Vincent Pe Co.

During a March 8 livestream Mass, St. Peter the Apostle Parish read the marriage banns for Ferdinand Vincent Pe Co and Phylbert Angelli Escalante Ranollo — the actress’s legal name.

In the Catholic Church, marriage banns are public announcements read during Mass to inform parishioners that a couple intends to marry. The tradition allows anyone aware of possible legal or canonical impediments to raise them before the wedding can take place.

Typically, the banns are announced for three consecutive Sundays ahead of a church wedding.

Despite the announcement, neither Alonzo nor Co has publicly confirmed wedding plans.

Alonzo, one of the Philippines’ most recognizable film and television stars, went public with her relationship with Co in 2023. Co is known in business circles as part of the family behind retail giant Puregold Price Club Inc., founded by tycoon Lucio Co.

Because Catholic churches typically require the publication of marriage banns before a wedding ceremony, the reading has fueled speculation online that the couple may be preparing to tie the knot.

For now, however, the announcement remains a traditional church notice of an intended marriage, with no official confirmation yet from the couple themselves.