CNN hero Peñaflorida smitten by Angel Locsin

This hero is in love. Efren Peñaflorida, the CNN Hero of the Year for 2009, has admitted that he is enamored by young actress Angel Locsin. A report by Nelson Canlas in GMA News' "24 Oras" said the 28-year-old Peñaflorida has known Locsin since 2004 and that just last New Year, he went to her house to inform her father, Mr. Angel Colmenares, about his intentions. "Sinabi ko sa dad niya kung ano ang intentions ko, in-open ko . . ." he said.

Peñaflorida, who caught CNN's attention for his "pushcart classroom" for urban poor youth, said he started having feelings for the 24-year-old actress when they accidentally bumped into each other in a US-bound flight last November. Locsin then was bound for New York to attend the International Emmy Awards where she was nominated for a Best Actress award, while Peñaflorida was en route to Hollywood to accept the CNN award. "It was really unexpected," Peñaflorida said of their first face-to-face encounter. Locsin, in an article on Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP), admitted that Peñaflorida had talked with her father. She said she has known Peñaflorida through Facebook even before he was named CNN Hero of the Year. - Karl B. Kaufman, GMANews.TV