BAGUIO CITY – A woman married her boyfriend incarcerated at the Baguio City Jail on Thursday, January 18.
This historic wedding was the first granted to a Person Deprived of Liberty and his fiancée inside a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in the country.
BUTCH and Marlyn kiss during their wedding at the Baguio City Jail Male-Dorm on January 18. It was the first-ever marriage in a prison in the country. (Zaldy Comanda)
BJMP Regional Chaplain Jan Vincent Damian officiated the wedding of Butch, 40, and Marlyn, 41, at the BCJ-Male Dorm.
"This is strange, this is also my first time to officiate the marriage of a prisoner and this can be considered a historic one in the BJMP. The two just proved their love for each other and the jail did not become an obstacle for their dream to face God for their oneness. I pray that their relationship does not end here, but they will be together in the future,” Damian said.
According to Damian, it is not forbidden for a PDL to marry.
"It's possible this time, they actually started planning it as early as August 2023 and the two went through the right process. There was even a little delay, I talked to both of them and made sure it would go ahead, because the girl might suddenly back out, but I'm really determined and I'm glad that the parents and family supported this wedding," Damian said.
Butch said he met Marlyn when he was working in Manila on social media. The woman was then employed abroad.
They had a relationship until Marlyn returned home and lived together and had a daughter.
However, their relationship was cut short when Butch was arrested in September 2022 after his former partner charged him.
According to Marlyn, prison is not for her to ignore the love she gave to Butch, especially since they have a child.
"There is great hope that the case involving him will also end and we will be together as a family," said Marlyn.
Jail Supt. April Rose Ayangwa, who sponsored the reception, was happy for the unorthodox wedding.
"With this happening, there will definitely be more to come, even here, maybe in other prisons in our country."
The couple said they are hoping to be together in the future.