By Jennifer P. Rendon
Ahead of the Valentine’s Day celebration, 18 couples got their life-long gift – the sacrament of holy matrimony.
The couples, 21 of whom are uniformed police personnel and one member of the Bureau of Fire Protection, exchanged vows during the mass wedding held at the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 headquarters, Camp Martin Delgado, Iloilo City on Sunday, Feb. 11.
Lieutenant Colonel Mark Virgil Ibardolaza, PRO-6 chaplain, officiated the ceremony.
Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor, Western Visayas police chief, initiated the conduct of the mass wedding.
Members of the PRO-6 command and directorial staff stood as sponsors as they said their “I Dos” at the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Chapel.
The longest civilly married couple has been living together for 22 years.
Ibardolaza said marriage is a sacred vow that the couple takes to show their love for their partner in spite and despite of their imperfections.
“Just like the love of God, we love the person, no ifs and buts. It’s not you say that that you love a person because… it should have no reason, no ifs and no buts,” he said.
Last year’s Valentine’s Day 20 couples also participated in a mass wedding at the PRO-6 headquarters.
Two months prior to that, PRO-6 also sponsored the wedding of 25 couples.
