4 couple-detainees wed at Baguio jail

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Four couples deprived of liberty tied the knot in a simple ceremony at the Baguio City Jail yesterday.

The ceremony was witnessed by other detainees, relatives of the couples, members of media, select guests and wedding sponsors.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong officiated the ceremony. He told the newlyweds that as long as they love each other and their family, especially the children, there is hope and life waiting for them outside the jail.

Two of the couples have known each other before they were incarcerated. The others have children of their own.

As a former detainee himself for a case of rebellion in 2006, Magalong said that a bond borne out of love is the mightiest weapon a man could use against boredom and difficulty, especially those who are deprived of liberty.

The couples vowed to rebuild their lives and wait for each other as soon as they obtain freedom.

Allan Abayao, chief of the city’s civil registry office and one of the wedding sponsors, assured the newlyweds of assistance in processing their marriage certificates as well as birth certificates of their children.