By CESAR JOLITO III

Fifty couples formally tied the knot in a mass wedding ceremony held a day before Valentine’s Day in Negros Occidental’s Moises Padilla town yesterday.

Dubbed “Kasanag sang Paghigugma,” the annual event is now in its fourth year and continues to provide couples with the opportunity to legalize their union through a church and civil ceremony facilitated by the local government.

The ceremony was officiated by Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo, with Vice Mayor Felix Mattias Yulo and members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod in attendance.

Garcia-Yulo said that the youngest couples who exchanged vows were both 18 years old.

She reminded the newlyweds to anchor their marriage on faith and mutual support.

“It is important that they make God the center of their married life. Temptations are there, but as long as they stand with each other, there will be no problem,” the mayor said.

Garcia-Yulo also revealed that more than 50 couples applied for this year’s ceremony, but only 50 slots were accommodated due to limitations in the program.

She assured those who were not included that they would be prioritized in next year’s mass wedding.

Meanwhile, in Bacolod City, at least 202 couples are set to exchange vows on Valentine’s Day, February 14.

The ceremony will be officiated by Mayor Greg Gasataya at the Bacolod City College Gymnasium./CJ, WDJ