99 couples tie the knot on ‘love day’
Ninety-nine couples made official their years-long union in yesterday afternoon’s mass wedding officiated by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.
The moment they’ve been waiting for at Fort San Pedro.
Now on its third year, the civil wedding was offered to the couples free of charge, with the expenses shouldered by the Home Development Mutual Fund or commonly known as Pag-IBIG.
The event was held at the Fort San Pedro where the mayor serenaded the couples with the ballad, “How did you know?” as they danced for the first time as lawfully-wedded husbands and wives.
The brides were in the usual white dresses while most of the grooms wore barong Tagalog.
Pag-IBIG vice president for Visayas and Mindanao Victoria dela Peña said they want to help those who are just living together to legitimize their union.
“We know that there are couples nga nagtipon lang, or they cannot get married kay they do not have the resources… Para ba ma-secure ang couple unya legally united gyud sila. So ang ilaha pod mga anak, mo dako nga kasado ilang ginikanan,” she said, adding that PAG-IBIG hopes to impart to couples the value of marriage.
OLDEST & YOUNGEST
Leonardo Inso, 55, and his 42-year-old bride Laura Largo were the oldest couple at the ceremony.
Inso, a security guard, and Largo, a production operator, met a year ago.
Laura says the mass wedding was a good opportunity for them to finally tie the knot.
Meanwhile, Danrey Botar and Maria Chona Baldosano, both 21, were the youngest couple to say their “I dos” before Mayor Rama.
Maria Chona said they found love four years ago, while she was working as a field staff member of Yakult Philippines assigned at the Mandaue area. Danrey was then looking after the sari-sari store of his grandfather in Mandaue, where they met.
They now have a seven-month-old baby, whom they consider the product of “love at first sight”.
Dela Peña said there were supposedly 100 couples at the ceremony but one couple backed out a day before the wedding.
“Basin gaaway siguro,” she said.
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