Oldest couple Delfin Villamor and Edwina Alcuizar (left) of Mandaue City exchange vows together with 92 other couples during the “libreng kasalan” program sponsored by Pag-IBIG Fund. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama (far right) administered the mass wedding. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
It has been the dream of couple Wilfredo Pareja and Elena Aquino, both 58 years old, to get married.
The couple, blessed with five children, has been living together for the past 35 years.
Aquino said they never had the chance to legalize their relationship due to financial constraints.
Finally, they tied the knot in a mass wedding administered by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama last Friday at the Sacred Heart Center on D. Jakosalem Street, Cebu City.
Pareja and Aquino were among the 93 couples who exchanged vows in Pag-IBIG Fund’s “I do. I do. Araw ng Pag-ibig” libreng kasalan program.
“Excited kaayo siya; dugay na pud siya ganahan nga makasal mi (She was very excited; she has long been wanting to get married),” Pareja said.
The couple knew of the libreng kasal through their friend, a Pag-IBIG-member. Pareja is a vendor, while Aquino is a dealer of Avon products.
“Dako kaayo mig pasalamat ining program sa Pag-IBIG kay sa ka dugay na namo nga nag-ipon nakasal na gyud mi (We are very thankful to Pag-IBIG for their program because we finally tied the knot after several years of living together),” Aquino said.
According to Victoria de la Peña, Pag-IBIG Vice President of Members Services Branch Operations for Visayas and Mindanao, the program which is now on its 5th year, aims to help out couples, especially those who cannot afford to pay for a wedding, legalize their union.
“Gusto sad nato nga kining gikasal nato ma-inganyo nato sila nga to join our savings program para naa silay savings (We also want to encourage the newlyweds to join our savings program),” de la Peña said.
Delfin Villamor, 61, and his partner Edwina Alcuizar, 52, are the oldest pair who took the opportunity to join the mass wedding.
They have been living together for 21 years and have three children.
“Para pud ni sa mga bata nga malipay sila nga nakasal na gyud ilang mama ug papa, og para sab nga dili sila maglisud sa mga documento (We did this to please our children and for them to avoid the hassle in getting documents [such as birth certificate, marriage certificate, among others]),” Villamor said.
The youngest couple Sheska Monterona, 18, who is six months pregnant, also tied the knot with Richard Parba, 24, both from barangay Pitalo, San Fernando town in southern Cebu.
“Buntis naman gud ko para sad madala nako iyang apelyido og madala kos iyang SSS (As I’m already pregnant, now I can use his surname and I can be his SSS beneficiary,” Monterona said.
“Nindot nga nakasal mi aron ang pagpuyo namo naay meaning, para pud sa future sa among anak (Our getting married gives meaning to our partnership and it is for our child’s future),” Parba said.
Mayor Rama reminded the couples to say, “Please,” “Thank you” and “Sorry” to each other so their relationship remains strong.
The couples had their first dance after the wedding ceremony, as Rama serenaded them with the song “How Did You Know.”
Each couple was provided with free wedding rings, bridal bouquet, souvenir mugs, souvenir photo, cupcake and dinner.
De la Peña, Jovelita Custodio, Pag-IBIG Area Head of South Central Visayas and Engr. Sulpicio Villegas Area Head of North Central and Eastern Visayas served as witnesses in the ceremony.
The ceremony also included a raffle draw with prizes such as the Kabuhayan showcase worth P25,000 and a house and lot.
The mass wedding program was in celebration of Valentine’s Day.
This year, Pag-IBIG targeted at least 2,000 couples nationwide to join the free wedding.