How reporter Nelson Canlas and chef Miggy Moreno's love story went from 'K, thanks' to walking down the aisle
The 11 years of history between reporter Nelson Canlas and chef Miggy Cabel Moreno was palpable.
Dinner rush at the Palm Grill, which serves Zambasulta (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi) cuisine, in Tomas Morato was about to begin. Nelson was busy taking calls and working on his phone, while Miggy went back and forth from the kitchen to the colorful dining area. When they sat together for the interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, they playfully squabbled about moving closer to each other so they'd be seen together in the camera frame.
"'Yung interview natin, love team love team," Nelson joked, to which Miggy sarcastically replied with, "Anong love team love team?"
In their relationship, the showbiz reporter shared that he loved taking digs at Miggy as a form of endearment. They would finish each other's sentences, too, which Nelson quipped was not cute, as they both were eager to share tidbits of their love.
Over a plate of the Tausug dish chicken pianggang, chef Miggy, whose family also owns the Cabel Filipino Heritage Restaurant, shared that he first saw Nelson on TV during the 2010 elections.
"May pogi palang reporter sa Pilipinas," Miggy said, recalling even minute details like how Nelson wore red and blue then.
The chef made the first move and added Nelson, who was in a different relationship at the time, on Facebook. Their love started in the friendzone, with Nelson responding with a "K, thanks," to Miggy when he greeted the reporter happy birthday.
"I felt, 'Ah, okay, so this person's uninterested,'" Miggy shared, adding that their chat went silent as he worked in Abu Dhabi for three years.
The stars finally aligned in 2013 when, after a day at work, Miggy slid into Nelson's DMs.
"The tone was different," the chef said, with Nelson adding that he was single then.
The couple started as friends for two years while Miggy was overseas. They finally met for the first time in person in Cebu, but Nelson had his reservations. They returned to their respective lives—Nelson in Metro Manlia and Miggy in Zamboanga—and appeared to move on from their first encounter. Two weeks later, the reporter confessed that he missed his "friend."
"One evening, there was a full moon. I was out in my veranda[.] I got used to talking to him every day, so after two weeks, I kind of missed this guy," Nelson said, joking that they had their Somewhere Out There moment.
Family first
After that, they decided to level things up, but Nelson had some conditions: they'd have to meet each other's families first.
"In our individual previous relationships, it's always our friends [who got] to know first [...] Ito 'di una 'yung kilig eh. Una 'yung [what] our parents are gonna say," Miggy said.
"I wanted to see how he treats his family because that's really important to me," Nelson said.
Eventually, they flew to the US and Zamboanga for the relationship milestone. Everything went well—Nelson even recalled his sister telling him not to let Miggy go.
The chef noted that such moments matter, especially for LGBTQ+ relationships. "The values that we share [should] align, our principles align. More than anything kasi parang as you move further in your relationship, you realize that, of course, love is never constant [...] but what's important and essential is the peace of mind and the happiness that comes with that," he said.
Nelson echoed this, sharing that before Miggy came into his life, he would always pray, "Lord, give me peace, or at least, give me a person who would support my peace."
Marriage and changes
When they got married in Wisconsin in the US in 2018, it was more of a "meeting of minds" than a romantic fairytale.
"It was really more [about] looking at the future as partners and making sure that each one of us is protected from important life decisions," Miggy said.
The chef was the one who popped the question in Abu Dhabi a couple of years before their nuptials. Nelson was expecting that Miggy would get down on one knee in New York because he dreamed of a romantic proposal by the Statue of Liberty.
"But I knew he wanted that so I didn't do it there," Miggy playfully shared. "I did it when he wasn't ready for it, when he wasn't expecting it."
Miggy proposed one morning over coffee when Nelson wasn't as polished. He took the reporter to a strip of stores selling jewelry on Hamdan Street and let him choose the ring.
There would be a moment of serendipity years later when they returned to Abu Dhabi to purchase rings for their US wedding. After walking and browsing for wedding bands for two hours, they almost gave up, as they couldn't find the right fit. One store had sizes for both of them, and it turned out it was the same shop where Miggy bought the engagement ring.
"Nakakagulat na parang, whoa, this guy recognized me years after," Miggy shared.
Same-sex marriages in the Philippines aren't recognized, but Nelson said that this didn't stop them from exchanging vows.
"For us, it's a universal thing. We just like the idea of when we step into a territory where it's allowed, lalo na 'yung parang pagbaba namin ng example Taiwan, parang, 'Uy, kasal ka sa akin dito ah.'"
In their 11 years together, Nelson admitted that they've rubbed off on each other.
"I would say na masama 'yung ugali ko before. Na-assimilate ko sa kanya 'yung that kindness, that understanding," the journalist said, adding that his no-BS attitude passed on to Miggy, who used to let people walk over him in the past.
"You really meet certain people in your life na babaguhin ka for the better. And if you keep them long enough, pataas ng pataas 'yung buhay mo."
They also shared that the secret to growing together independently is coming to a relationship whole.
"We did not enter into the relationship thinking that [one] person has to complete the other," Nelson said.
"Or the other person needs to change the other," Miggy chimed in.
Their key to keeping the spark alive is being able to do things together independently.
"In our quiet moments, even if we're not talking, we feel each other's presence. We have a couch time," they said, finishing each other's sentences.
"We're just sitting, doing our own thing. We're probably on social media, or I'm editing something, but we just have to be together," Nelson said.
Miggy added that the quiet moments are a great test of relationships. "Even in your silence, you still feel the presence of a person, and that's what matters the most."
Supporting each other is also important. Throughout their relationship, they've notched career milestones individually and together. Nelson has written three children's books: Jose at ang Mahiwagang Taguri, Si Migoy ang Batang Tausug, and Ang Kwentong ni Putli Mandi (written with Miggy). In October 2025, Palm Grill earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and a new branch is opening at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
"I was a better person after I met him because he allowed me to grow. He gave me space to grow, to say what I want to say, not what I need to say," Nelson said. "I was never suppressed from the start."
"Hindi namin dineter 'yung growth ng isa't isa. Do what you have to do [...] I'll totally be in support of that. So I was more confident, he was more confident and we grew. Kahit sabihin mong we were embracing each other, there's a lot of growth that you can allow even if you embrace each other.
Miggy added that relationships take a lot of maturity. "It's not just love. It takes a lot of maturity and wisdom, [...] respect, and peace. It's all of these small things when put together make it a very successful [relationship]."
