Clint Holton P. Potestas shares a halo-halo with a guy who endorses pizza, among other things.

“Halo-halo?” he asked me if I’d like to have some of this authentic Filipino dessert over a luncheon buffet of Asian cuisine at Café Marco.

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“No. I am already full,” I replied but was tempted to indulge. Since he was a model, I tried to appear as disciplined.

He returned with a bowl of the authentic Filipino halo-halo indeed – a concoction of shaved ice and milk with various boiled sweet beans and fruits.

He sat quietly again, trying to catch up with the tail-end of the conversation while taking the first scoop of ice cream, the usual topping.

Listening to Dexter Alazas – his manager since he started modeling in Cebu – share love stories of Boracay, he gave a shy grin that later on turned into unrestrained laughter.

“We bumped into each other in Boracay,” Joe Vince Cañizares interrupted, taking another scoop. “I’ve been in the Philippines for a couple of months already.”

Models do actually eat – or at least, I know that this 26-year-old could still take a bowl of sinful desserts after three rounds of Japanese food, and yet still, he owns an ideal 38-30-38 measurement in his vital statistics.

A strict diet helps him slip into a pair of skinny pants, but he does have some sporadic “escapes” – those days when he could eat whatever dish he wishes.

“I don’t specify a certain day for the ‘escape.’ It could be any day of the week,” he shares. Or maybe, is Vince just pure lucky for having an extremely fast metabolism?

About a year ago, he has endorsed Century Tuna in its advocacy of maintaining the ideal body, and then followed by the introduction of Greenwich’s newest pizza where he, as an endorser, rubbed elbows with screen actors John Lloyd Cruz and Lloyd Zaragosa.

“There was no special treatment. I went through what other models had to go through, and I’m thankful I was chosen,” he said. On working with John Lloyd, he continued: “It was pretty fun to work with him. He is down-to-earth and easy to work with. He had a very professional approach to the project even if we shot until 12 midnight.”

He has also appeared in several commercial advertisements, campaigning for brands like Penshoppe, Nike, Nescafe, and Close Up. His experiences with established companies in the country have helped him push the envelope a notch higher, so to say, as he was recognized as a rising international model.

To seek more challenges in the industry, he traveled abroad and joined Major Management that has branches in Milan, New York, Paris, and Munich.
In Cebu, he is under AD Models Homme et Femme.

When he is off the catwalk, Vince is often seen in the clubs – not to party but to work. Talk about combining business and pleasure, but when he was in Singapore, he took the post of publicist of prestigious party houses like Super Club, Attica, Lenoir, Azzura, and Mimdette Stereolounge.

“I’ve traveled in different cities and countries, and I’ve learned to take care of myself – no maid, no laundry services, no cook,” concluded Vince with his effortless humility.