He even composed a song for her—sweet!
Planning anything special in this pandemic isn't an easy task, more so that we're stuck at home with limited resources. But this didn't stop singer, songwriter, and music producer Thyro Alfaro from proposing to his long-time partner Arci Dela Peña.
"Because we have kids at home and because of this new Delta variant (COVID-19), it was certain that an outdoor proposal was out of the question," Thyro tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. So how did he pull off the proposal? It might be unconventional for some, but this idea worked for them. "I figured, being COVID-19 positive will surely shake her up. So my friends and I planned a fake swab test where I will test positive."
And like any proposal, friends gladly helped out in plotting this hard-to-pull-off plan. He is grateful for his friends Dan, Karen, Nik, and, lastly, Jaymee, the nurse who conducted the swab test. "And, of course, my jeweller Ria of Joyiera. She slid the ring box inside a face mask box so it would be an unassuming package in the house."
Thyro also knew that it had to look like an ordinary day, with them having a hearty lunch at home. When asked how they felt right before the proposal, all Thyro could say was that they were hungry. "We were eating. That was the intent. Do it when we're doing something else. Para off-guard," he explains.
But the most challenging part was making sure that Arci won't have a clue about what's happening. "Since everything, planning-wise, happened online. Not getting caught was the most challenging part. My devices are synced. It was a challenge to make sure she does not see the messages in one of my devices."
As soon as the nurse, dressed in PPE, came in to talk to Arci, Thyro ran behind them and knelt down on one knee with the jewelry box open to show the engagement ring. Arci still had no clue of what's happening, but when she did, she was flustered and couldn't believe that it was happening. Another highlight of the proposal was a printed tarpaulin that had Thyro's face laid out with the witty text, "Positive ka din ba (Are you positive, too)?" The black-and-white edited video of the proposal is posted on his Facebook account with the caption, "I tested 'POSITIVE'.... positive to be with Arci Dela Peña for good! with the song "Ginto" being played in the background, giving us a teaser of the album he is set to release real soon.
"There were talks about getting married but the timing and the way he did it was surprising," Arci affirms Thyro and their friends' efforts. "I can't express how happy I am. My heart is full of love and joy. But, yeah, I said 'uum with sipa' hahaha! Wala eh, kakasubo ko lang ng pork ng samgyup kaya di ako makasalita," Arci posted.
Thyro really pulled out all the stops, including a spoof antigen "ARCI-19" swab test result for some laughs.
It was a light-hearted proposal that ended up with happy tears for the couple. When asked about their future plans, their wedding maybe set around the end of this year. "Honestly, we wanna take advantage of the pandemic to have a small wedding. Less people to invite, less cost. And no need to invite people who didn't really 'witness' us. Just people close to us. Intimate," says Thyro.
And lastly, he shares one piece of advice to those who are planning to propose, "Don't be nervous. Kasi kayo kayo lang iyan (It's just the two of you)."