MAASIN City Mayor Nacional Mercado solemnized the union of 20 couples during the first mass wedding in the city on Thursday, February 28.
Mercado said administering the wedding dubbed as “Kasalan ng Bayan” is his gift to the couples who have been living together for years but have no means of spending for the occasion.
“I have noticed an increasing number of couples coming to my office who wanted to get married. This led me to come up with an idea of administering a mass wedding ceremony,” he said.
He added that the City Government is planning to hold the same kind of event annually based on the success of the first mass wedding.
“My best wishes and congratulations to the newly wedded couples. May this day marks the start of forever in their married life,” Mercado said in his message during the ceremony held at the city gymnasium.
He reminded the couples “to remain steadfast in their relationships as this is not only an agreement among themselves, but will establish a strong foundation as a couple.”
Mercado, who stood as the principal sponsor, lauded the couples on their desire to become legally married, saying this will reduce the cases of having “illegitimate children” in the community.
As his gift to the newlywed couples, Mercado shouldered all the expenses in their reception.
He thanked fellow city officials who also served as sponsors for the couples. (With reports from Dahlia Orit)