Spotlight
Kristine Hermosa-Sotto and Oyo Boy Sotto: Love is a Choice Worth Making
The road to a happily forever after, like Kristine Hermosa-Sotto and Oyo Boy Sotto’s marriage, is based on the choices they made.
“You have to remember that love is a choice. If choice mo yan, mahalin mo si Kristine. Idiretso mo na.” Those were the words from Pastor Rob that spurred Oyo Boy Sotto to make a move on his relationship with his then-girlfriend and now-wife, Kristine Hermosa-Sotto.
Direction, as Kristine says, is what she and Oyo realized they both needed in defining their relationship. There had to be something, Oyo shares. “Lagi nilang sinasabi ano ang nangyari sa tatay ko, mangyayari din sa akin. So sabi ko, ayoko. If I’m going to date Kristine, kailangan may something.”
That something came in the form of a proposal that caught everyone off-guard—including the pastor who initially pushed Oyo to make a choice. And for the next 13 years, together, Kristine and Oyo built a loving home for their five children: Kiel, Ondrea, Kaleb, Marvic, and Isaac. And just yesterday, Kristine announced on social media that they are expecting Baby Number 6!
Letting love lead
Before they let love lead them, Kristine Hermosa-Sotto and Oyo Boy Sotto reveal that they still had to navigate through the ups and downs of Life. “When we met on the Enteng Kabisote set in 2004, galing akong GMA, tapos si Kristine [sa] ABS-CBN. Medjo awkward kasi usually kung yung mga taga-GMA sama-sama kami. Tapos si Kristine, siya yung usually walang kasama,” Oyo reveals.
Adding to the awkwardness, they both believe, were also the unfavorable first impressions that the two had and heard about one another. “Di ako yung judgmental type. So, I didn’t really have any [impressions], save for the few I’ve heard,” Kristine admits. “I was there for work. Pero yung naririnig ko were usually about Oyo being a ‘bad boy.’”
“Tapos yung sinabi nila about Kristine, mahirap daw siya katrabaho,” Oyo adds. “Pero, I discovered that Kristine is actually just shy and mabait pala siyang tao.”
Besides the magic from working together on the Enteng Kabisote set and witnessing each other’s hardships in prior relationships, both Kristine and Oyo nurtured their relationship further as they traveled to new places—or wherever Oyo’s two wheels could take them. With a motorcycle and two helmets, they let love inspire them, as it took them to places even beyond the metro.
“Sometimes, we would go out riding. Minsan, hanggang Tagaytay, then we stay overnight,” Oyo recalls. “Then, we come back.”
But things are different now as parents, Kristine admits. “We have to get creative. May araw talaga na wala kang maiisip. So the stuff we do together is usually at home.”
Keeping the love alive at home
Although the motorcycle doesn’t go out as much as it used to, Kristine Hermosa-Sotto and Oyo Boy Sotto express that much of their rekindling happens at home. They would binge-watch series together, and occasionally bike together. Even spending time with the kids has become one of the ways to keep the romance alive. “Sarap kasi to play with the kids,” Kristine adds while joking. “Pero yun nga lang, nauubusan kami ng energy.”
But there is one thing that they both enjoy the most—especially after a long fulfilling day of being parents. “Eating and sleeping,” Oyo decides. “Parang by 9 or 10 o’clock, antok na. Parang, tulog na tayo.” Life in the fast lane for both has definitely slowed down. But it’s in engaging in shared interests that they revel in these days.
With kids becoming part of the picture, there’s a call to be more creative on how they spend quality time together as a couple. “That’s why most of the time, kasama sila. We willingly express our affection for each other in front of our kids to show what a healthy marriage and relationship looks like,” Kristine reveals.
Raising kids with and in love
While most kids would cringe at the thought of spending Valentine’s or time with their parents, Kristine Hermosa-Sotto and Oyo Boy Sotto are thankful that their five kids still enjoy being with them. They treasure the kids’ clinginess—especially after hearing all the stories from other parents about how kids and teens usually just retreat to their rooms and never come out.
Oyo recalls, “When we were getting ready to go to the [Modern Parenting] shoot today and we bid the kids goodbye, they all suddenly started asking, ‘Hey, where are you going?’ Sometimes, they even text us like an hour or two later,” Kristine laughs. “They’ll ask, ‘Where are you? Are you coming home yet?'”
It is evident that the couple enjoys being with their kids, spending as much time with each of them as possible. A day in the Sotto household involves a lot of fun and organized chaos. What is most impressive is the way Oyo and Kristine have instilled discipline and accountability in their children’s daily routine—from their assigned chores to the older siblings assisting their younger siblings with their school work and clean-up after playtime. With Kristine taking full charge of preparing meals for her family, she beams with pride when talking about the simplicity of their home life.
Despite their “old school” practices, Kristine and Oyo are both surprised and relieved at how their five kids still like hanging out with them. Besides the banning of gadgets and TV on the weekdays, the celebrity parents still believe in the controversial “spare the rod, spoil the child” but remind us that it’s still a method they only use as a last resort.
“Iyan yung gusto namin i-explain sa kanila,” Kristine clarifies. “We want them to understand that everything has consequences. Small or big yan, may consequence yan. So pagka-good decision, may consequence pero good consequence naman.”
Oyo adds, “We want to teach them that consequences can hurt. Di ka naman mapapalo, pero masakit pa rin ang consequence. So kung mayroon kang sinaktan ng tao, ninakawan ka ng tao, o pinagsinungaligan ka, masakit iyon.“
A new addition to the growing family
Many parents see a baby as a blessing to their ever-growing family. The same goes for Kristine and Oyo, who revealed on social media just yesterday that they were expecting baby number 6.
“To be honest, I was hopeful but never really expected He would bless us with children. Like, lots of them and another one on the way…” she admits. “I praise the Lord for whatever plan He has for me and my super growing family—after all, He is my creator, my Lord, and Savior, my provider, my peace and joy, my eternal hope, and ultimately my heavenly Father.”
Kristine expresses that she still feels “butterflies” when recalling the two lines on the pregnancy test. For her, each baby reveal feels different and it can be overwhelming.
But the unexplainable joy we feel when we hear that tiny heartbeat during the check-up is something that Kristine attributes to God, encouraging many parents to “keep on believing [in His power and faithfulness].”
“Ibang level din when you can already see and hear the heartbeat,” she writes. “Iba lang talaga ang peace and joy pag galing kay God.”
What love has taught them so far
Ultimately, life’s challenges have both Kristine Hermosa-Sotto and Oyo Boy Sotto agreeing that keeping a marriage strong while raising a big family is not easy to do at all.
Conflict is inevitable in any relationship, and marriage is no exception. But it’s how you navigate it that makes all the difference. Assuming positive intent when your partner does something you perceive as hurtful can help avoid unnecessary fights and misunderstandings.
Likewise, apologizing also goes a long way especially when your partner has been hurt, even if it was unintentional. At the end of the day, positive communication is vital.
For Kristine, she prefers to reflect on things first while Oyo likes to deal with the problem when it’s in front of him. “For me kasi di na important yung right o wrong. Kasi sa point of view ko, tama ako but sa point of view niya [Oyo], tama siya,” Kristine explains.
“So talaga di tayo magkakasundo. Kasi what I do nalang is I pray about it,” she adds. “Then, I talk to the Lord and say, ‘Lord, bahala ka na kay Oyo and bahala ka na rin sa akin.’ So if I do this, I’m actually pleasing God. That’s my goal talaga: to focus on God.”
It’s hard at first but Kristine assures that it’s part of human nature to struggle to be mindful of how one fights and forgives their partner. Even if their relationship looks stellar, Oyo adds that there’s no such thing as a “perfect relationship” or “perfect marriage.” There are times you have to talk it out and there are times when giving each other time and space is a better option.
“Yung advice ko talaga is to keep God at the center of your relationship,” Oyo explains, attributing the learned lesson from his friends and cousins. “And everything else will follow. Medyo mahirap kasi kung walang higher being, you easily get off-track especially when there are disagreements.”
Love is filled with both feelings and choices. And as a married couple, Kristine and Oyo know quickly how those feelings can change. But the secret to their 13-year marriage lies in staying true to their belief—love is a choice and everyday, they choose one another, through all the good and the bad, and everything in between.
Words KEVYN GOHU
Photography EXCEL PANLAQUE of KLIQ, Inc.
Hair PATTY INOJALES
Makeup TWINKLE BERNARDO
Shoot Coordination ANTHONY MENDOZA
Art Director MARC YELLOW
Stylist SIYA DARYANI of THE CLOSET CULTURE
Sittings Editor MARGA MEDRANO-TUPAZ
Shot on location at DEXTERTON BGC SHOWROOM
More about Kristine and Oyo?
Kristine Hermosa-Sotto Celebrates Kiel’s Win in Jiujitsu!
Oyo Boy Sotto Recovering After Bike Accident
Kristine Hermosa and Oyo Sotto Host the First Ricky Zoom Virtual Party
