Phl’s biggest: 2,013 couples wed in Bacolod

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Bidding for the biggest event of its kind in the country, the Bacolod City government wed a total of 2,013 couples in a mass wedding, dubbed “2013 in 2013,” at the city’s Government Center grounds last Saturday.

Mayor Evelio Leonardia officiated the wedding ceremonies, with Philippine ring icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, an adopted son of Bacolod, Senator Franklin Drilon and former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson among the principal sponsors.

Liberal Party senatorial candidates Jamby Madrigal and Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel stood as witnesses, while other principal sponsors were PLDT Community Relations head Evelyn del Rosario and Ceres Liner bus owner Ricardo Yanson.

The mayor said the city government was vying for the Guinness Record of having the biggest mass wedding in the country, and hopefully, in the world.

Leonardia said one of the primary purposes in accommodating a mass wedding was that most of the couples could not afford to spend for a church wedding. “For us, this is a form of public service and we do not charge them a single centavo.”

The mass wedding was originally scheduled Feb. 14 but was moved to Feb. 16 to accommodate the schedules of the principal sponsors. The City Public Information Office estimated the crowd in attendance at 20,000.

Drilon, who was also the guest speaker, said that as a gift to the 2,013 couples, he will allocate P5 million from his fund for the improvement of the Bacolod Public Plaza, so that the couples can enjoy more while dating there.

Pacquiao, sharing some “words of counsel,” advised the couples to stay committed to each other. “A marriage certificate has no expiration so you have to stay together forever,” he said, citing that, in all the years being married to Jinky, he realized that “love is not an emotion; it is a decision to stay committed to each other through the good times and the bad times.”

Pacquiao told the newly-wed couples: “I am here to personally celebrate with you the gift of life and the gift of love.”

Chavit, for his part, said, “I congratulate the officials of Bacolod for having thought of this record-breaking event. Others might follow suit because this is a good program.”

Leonardia said Bacolod made history with 2,013 couples or a total of 4,026 people getting married. “This is a tourist attraction in itself and wished that the couples live a happy marriage,” he said.

The mass wedding was a tradition observed in this city every year, said the mayor, recalling that last year, Vice President Jejomar Binay came here to attend the mass wedding, which was then the biggest with 775 couples.

The city government and corporate sponsors prepared the reception for the couples and their guests. (FREEMAN)