755 couples wed on Valentine's day

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – A total of 755 couples got married during the Valentine’s Day mass wedding officiated by Mayor Evelio Leonardia and witnessed by Vice President Jejomar Binay as principal sponsor.

Binay said it was his first time to witness such a great number of couples joining the mass wedding since he was mayor of Makati City, and he urged then to work for the success of their marriage.

Other sponsors were Leonardia, who solemnized the wedding, Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson and the city councilors.

Leonardia said the Pag-IBIG Fund sponsored the reception of the 600 newly-wedded couples, while that of the 155 couples was sponsored by transportation magnate Ricardo Yanson, owner of Vallacar Transit, which operates Ceres Liner buses around the country.

After the ceremony, Binay gave away P1,000 in cash each to 10 lucky couples. The newlyweds also received gifts from the city and other sponsors.

The oldest couple was Feliciano Malunes, 73, a widower, who tied the knot with his 62-year-old bride Estelita Setias of Brgy. Pahanocoy in this city, while an 18-year-old was the youngest bride, who wed her 23-year-old partner.  - THE FREEMAN