A total of 20 couples exchanged their vows in a mass wedding officiated by Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez at the lobby of Bacolod City Government Center over the weekend.

In coordination with the Office of Civil Registrar, Benitez solemnized the civil union of the couples from city’s Barangay Handumanan.

During the ceremony, the oldest couple among the newlyweds was 46-year-old Adonis Abriel Bagaporo,  and 42-year-old Jennifer Mendoza, while the youngest couple who tied the knot was Jonna Freias and Emerson Padilla, ages 24 and 28 respectively.

Atty. Hermelio Paoyon, Office of the Civil Registrar head, and former Barangay Handumanan chief Ma. Febe Legaspe both extended their congratulations during the rite.

The wedding signifies “legal standing” of the couples’ relationship and for their “children to be legitimized formally,” Paoyon shared in his message./WDJ