SEALED WITH A KISS .Couple Justina Angcon, 63, and Norberto Panci-Panci, 67, seal their union with a kiss during the mass wedding sponsored by Pag-IBIG Fund yesterday. They are the oldest couple among the 227 pairs who joined the annual Kasalan ng Bayan at J-Centre Mall in Mandaue City. (CDN Photo/ Norman V. Mendoza)
It was a “dream come true” for Condor, 57, when she finally said “I do” with Camos, 40, in a civil wedding ceremony held yesterday morning at the J Center Mall in Mandaue City.
A 17-YEAR age difference was never a problem for Milagros Condor and Daniel Camos. But financial constraints prevented the couple from having their union solemnized in the last 20 years.
So it was a “dream come true” for Condor, 57, when she finally said “I do” with Camos, 40, in a civil wedding ceremony held yesterday morning at the J Center Mall in Mandaue City.
“Nalipay kaayo ko (I am very happy),” a beaming Condor said.
The couple from barangay Opra in Cebu City was among the 227 pairs who got married two days before Valentine’s Day in a ceremony solemnized by Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes.
The Cebu office of the Home Development and Mutual Fund or better known as Pag-IBIG sponsored the ceremony — the fourth held since 2011.
Another couple—Narciso Alajid, 32, and Miriam, 29—were also unable to get married due to inadequate finances.
With Narciso’s meager income as an appliance store agent, the couple had to prioritize the needs of their three kids aged 8, 6 and 4 years old.
Miriam said they had to be extra careful with their spending, especially now that she is six months pregnant with their fourth child.
The Alajud couple have been living together for eight years in their house in barangay Canduman, Mandaue City.
Narciso and Miriam hugged after they exchanged their wedding vows.
Condor proudly raised her hand when the program host asked who among the couples have been living together for the longest time.
Condor told Cebu Daily News that she met Camos at a shell craft factory in Mandaue City where she used to work.
Condor is a native of Medellin town while Camos is from Tuburan town, both in northern Cebu.
They lived in Opra, Cebu City where they also raised their only son, Brian, who is now 20 years old.
Condor said she applied for inclusion in last year’s Pag-IBIG Fund free wedding program.
But she failed to meet the deadline for the submission of documentary requirements.
“Karong tuiga pagka basa nako sa newspaper nga naa na sad, ni submit gyud dayon ko (This time, when I read about the mass wedding program in newspaper reports, I immediately complied with the requirements),” she said.
Condor said she is happy that she can finally be called Mrs. Camos.
Alexander Hilario Aguilar, Pag-IBIG Fund senior vice president, said 3,000 couples nationwide including the 227 couples from Cebu were wed in yesterday’s “Kasalan ng Bayan” gathering which they sponsored.
Wedding ceremonies for their members were held in 25 different areas in the country which include the Maria Cristina Falls in Iligan City and the Cagsawa Ruins in Daraga, Albay.
“It’s a program that we are doing for couples who cannot afford to have a formal wedding,” Aguilar said.
Their free-wedding program is also intended to encourage couples to enroll for Pag-IBIG membership.
Pag-IBIG paid for the wedding, the reception and the rings.
The wedding march started at 9 a.m.
Brides and grooms who were mostly in gowns and barong tagalog walked down the aisle before they settled in their assigned seats.
Cortes officiated their exchange of vows at 10:30 a.m. with Vice President Jejomar Binay as witness to the ceremony.
The couples also partook of the wine and tasted the cupcakes in lieu of the traditional slicing of the wedding cake.