100 couples tie the knot in Manila's pre-Valentine's Day mass wedding
Manila City Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso officiated a mass wedding of 100 couples at Robinsons Place Manila on Friday, Feb. 13, part of the city's Valentine's Day festivities.
According to Domagoso, the couples were the earliest to submit their wedding documents to the City Civil Registry Office, and the annual event aims at strengthening families through legal union and recognition.
The mayor had also officiated the wedding of Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) employees at the Manila City Hall earlier.
Aside from the mass wedding, the city government will also conduct its "Letters to My TOTGA" Valentine’s Day experience from Feb. 14 to 28, offering a space for reflection on love, loss, and closure.
"The concept draws inspiration from the story of Jose Rizal and Leonor Rivera, whose long-distance relationship unfolded through handwritten letters and ultimately ended in separation. Their story, marked by distance and timing, has remained one of the most remembered unfinished romances in Philippine history," the city government said.
The event will take place at Paco Park, the historic circular park in Manila where both Rizal and Rivera were once buried before their remains were transferred elsewhere.
Various Valentine's Day-themed events were also launched across the city, including a bazaar at the Kartilya ng Katipunan and the "LapLUVan: Walang Malisya" party at Remedios Circle in Malate.