GUINOBATAN, Albay – One-hundred sixty-nine couples, 40 of them evacuees, were married in a mass wedding organized by the local government unit amid a restive Mayon Volcano on Wednesday afternoon, June 28.
COUPLES kiss during the mass wedding organized by the local government unit of Guinobatan, Albay on Wednesday afternoon, June 28. (Contributed photo by Arnolf Lorcha)
Mayor Chino Garcia here said they had planned the event before the Mayon Volcano alert level was raised to three.
“Life must go on despite the natural disaster that the province is facing and so the event has to proceed,” Garcia said.
Married couples were from Barangays Tandarora and Maninila, mostly affected by Mayon Volcano, and the rest from different parts of this town.
Held at Ofrasio Pavillion, the "Kasalang Bayan" aims to legalize the union of couples for free amid the difficulties from the Mayon Volcano unrest.
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Bicol director Cynthia Perdiz, Albay Reps. Joey Salceda and Rep. Fernando Cabredo, Garcia, Vice Mayor Ann Gemma Ongjoco, and members of the Sangguaniang Bayan were among those principal sponsors.
Couples received cash gift and a sack of rice from Salceda. On the other hand, Cabredo distributed cash gift.
The Sangguniang Bayan and Garcia gave wedding cakes and food for couples and visitors.