BACOLOD City — Love took center stage on Valentine’s Day, February 14, as 202 couples officially exchanged vows in a city-sponsored mass wedding held at the Bacolod City College Activity Center.
Officiated by Mayor Greg Gasataya, the annual event was held in celebration of Civil Registration Month. This year’s ceremony carried the theme “Forever Begins Today: Ceremony, Love, and Celebration,” transforming the venue into a sea of gold, white, and orange — colors symbolizing unity, prosperity, and enduring love.
Families, sponsors, barangay officials, and city leaders filled the hall, underscoring Bacolod’s continuing push to promote legal marriage and proper civil registration.
In his message, Gasataya stressed the lifelong and legal significance of marriage under Philippine law.
“This is not something to be taken lightly. Once the ceremony is completed, under the laws of the Philippines, you are already one. We are gathered here today to share in the joy and love that each of you has brought to this occasion,” he said.
As part of the city government’s support, each couple received a small wedding cake, food, wine, and commemorative souvenirs.
Councilors Jude Thaddeus Sayson and Homer Bais led the ceremonial toast. Bais offered words of encouragement, recalling advice from his mother-in-law that marriage means “no return, no exchange,” to which he added, “no retreat, no surrender,” urging couples to remain steadfast in their commitment.
Adding excitement to the event, four special awards were presented, with winners receiving cash prizes and gift certificates.
Beyond the celebration, the mass wedding also became a symbol of hope for couples overcoming hardship.
Among the newlyweds were Rolando Toledo and Sharon Gaho, who had lived together for 21 years while facing homelessness.
According to the Bacolod Anti-Mendicancy Management Division under the Department of Social Services and Development, the couple and their five children were rescued two weeks earlier along San Juan Street as part of the city’s outreach efforts.
The family, who previously worked as barkers and relied on small-scale vending and alms, is now temporarily sheltered at the Arao Relocation Site in Barangay Vista Alegre and is receiving assistance as they rebuild their lives.
For Toledo and Gaho, the ceremony marked more than a legal union — it signified restored dignity and a fresh start after decades of struggle.
City officials said the annual mass wedding highlights the importance of civil registration in securing legal identity, protecting family rights, and making essential government services more accessible.
The celebration was institutionalized through City Ordinance No. 08-15-740, Series of 2015, also known as the Bacolod City Mass Wedding Ordinance./PN
