Inmate and wife tie knot in mass wedding in Mandaue

CEBU, Philippines - An inmate and his de facto wife were among the 49 couples who tied the knot yesterday morning in a mass wedding held at the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City.

The man is serving time for his involvement in illegal drugs.

After the reception, the man kissed his wife goodbye and bid farewell to his five children before jail guards took him back to the city jail.

On the other hand, two couples failed to join the wedding, one for its failure to comply with the legal requirements and the other pair still needs time to decide what color the bride's gown should be.

The man wanted her wife-to-be to put on a yellow gown but the woman wanted to be dressed in a white one.

Since no one gave in to each other's wishes, they chose to put off the wedding.

Mayor Jonas Cortes and his wife Sarah Walker Cortes stood as the main sponsors.

Also at the ceremony were attended by Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede, city councilors Elstone Dabon, and Ernie Manatad and some barangay captains of the city.

The mass wedding was initiated by Kaabag Inc. a non-governmental organization and the Cultural, Historical, Educational, Sports and Tourism (CHEST) foundation.

Daisy Otarra of Kaabag Inc. said the affair cost P200,000 to hold, the money going to preparing documents, reception at the Mandaue City Sports Cultural and Sports Complex, and gifts and tokens for the couples. (FREEMAN)