• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Thirty-eight couples in La Castellana, Negros Occident exchanged vows during a mass wedding ceremony officiated by Mayor Añejo Nicor on Monday, June 29.
“This is the municipality’s continuing initiative to help unmarried couples legalize their unions,” the mayor said.
Locally known as “Arangkasalan,” the ceremony is funded through the local Gender and Development program, providing couples with the opportunity to get married without the financial burden of organizing a wedding.
Nicor said the initiative is especially beneficial for couples with children, noting that legal marriage can help families comply with documentary requirements, including those sometimes requested by educational institutions.
He also emphasized the importance of strengthening family ties through marriage.
The mass wedding program was launched during the administration of his father, former mayor Alberto Nicor Jr., and was sustained under the leadership of his sister, also former mayor and now vice mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor.
As the town’s chief executive, Nicor vowed to continue the program as one of the municipality’s family-centered initiatives.
This year’s ceremony marked his first time serving as the officiating officer of the mass wedding.
To make the occasion more memorable, each newlywed couple received a wedding cake and was treated to lunch following the ceremony. | GPB
