ILOILO – One hundred nineteen couples marked Valentine’s Day yesterday by tying the knot in Guimbal town on an old steel bridge that used to be the longest in Western Visayas.
It was a sunset mass civil wedding officiated by Mayor Jennifer Garin Colada.
The couples – all wearing facemasks due to the coronavirus pandemic – occupied the old steel bridge decked with red hearts and ribbons,s and white balloons.
The brides were all in their white wedding gowns and/or dresses while the grooms mostly opted wearing white polos or barongs.
The Guimbal steel bridge, constructed in 1931 during the American period, is approximately 0.350 kilometers long and made of Pittsburgh Steel imported from Virginia, USA.
“A big thanks to our municipal civil registrar’s office for organizing this free mass wedding,” said Colada, noting that financial constraints hindered the couples from getting married.
Some of the couples have been living together for many years and already have children.
Mass weddings may be conducted even if the province is under pandemic Alert Level 3.
But the minimum health standards and other protocols must be observed, according to Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., such as physical distancing and wearing of facemask.
Also, participants must be fully vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019, said Defensor, because “ang mass wedding high-risk activity na sia.”/PN
