18 couples tie knot in pre-Valentine mass wedding 

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Eighteen couples, including 21 police officers and one from the Bureau of Fire Protection, exchanged “I do’s” in a mass wedding ceremony conducted ahead of the Valentine’s Day celebration in this city yesterday. 

The ceremony – celebrated by Lt./Col. Mark Virgil Ibardolaza, chaplain of the Western Visayas police – was held at the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Chapel at Camp Martin Delgado, home of the Western Visayas police.

The mass wedding was initiated by Brig. Gen. Sidney Villaflor, Western Visayas police director, and supported by the directorial staff of the regional police, who stood as sponsors of the couples.

Among those who tied the knot was a pair who has been living together for 22 years. 

Ibardolaza said marriage is a sacred vow that couples should make to show their love for their partners.

“Just like the love of God, we should love the person unconditionally. It should not be ‘I love the person because…’ There should be no reason, no ifs and no buts,” Ibardolaza said. 

During last year’s Valentine’s Day, 20 couples participated in a similar ceremony at the headquarters. Two months earlier, the regional police sponsored the wedding of 25 couples.