Romero weds 80 ‘live-in’ couples

By Mortz C. Ortigoza MANGALDAN- Mayor Herminio Romero exhorted couples who lived together out of wedlock to consider the shame their children could suffer from teasing from other people because their parents are living without the benefits of marriage. Because of this call from the mayor, 80 couples who lived for decades as common law spouses exchanged “I dos” before the mayor who solemnized the marriage at this town’s gym recently. The mass wedding saw a cast of personalities. Some grooms wore coat and tie, some sported casual dress as if they were just going for window shopping, while some baby sit and sang lullabies to their babies as they waited for Romero to ask them to say “I do” , and ask the couple to kiss each. One of them was a 59-year old grandfather-groom Andreo who persuaded his “wife,” lola Vilma to marry before one of their children marries. “Her daughter has passed the board exam for nursing. I said we should already so the luck would continue,” Lola Vilma said. The youngest groom was an 18 year-old who said he could no longer wait to bring his likewise young bride before the solemnizing officer. In the Philippines, with the consent of the parents the legal age of marriage is 18 year-old according to the Family Code of the Philippines. Dr. Ophelia Rivera, chief of the municipal health office here, appealed to the newly wed couples that to have a good health for the mother they should give a space of three years before they have another child. “It is their choice. Sa atin serbisyo lang. Nandito ang gusto nilang i-avail, i-avail nila”.