Last December 28, Kasalang Bayan 2016 took place at Bataan Government Center.
The program began with a wedding procession of the loving couples, while being serenaded by Yeng Constantino’s Ikaw. First to go into the procession was Mayor Alice Pizarro in a simple yet elegant green dress, followed by the couples to be wedded that day.
The reading for this year’s Kasalang Bayan is 1Peter 3:1-7, which emphasizes on the role of husband and wife in order to have a relationship under the loving guidance of God. She related to the reading the story of her parents, Arsenio and Sonia, an engineer and a teacher with six (6) children, who are now all successful and content with life because of the good upbringing of their parents.
Mayor Alice Pizarro mentioned that most couples during that day were still young, that is why she gave them a brief explanation on the value of what a wedding is all about. She explained that a wedding is a special contract which binds a man and woman. Wedding as a special contract means that it has no expiration date, marriage in itself is a concept of having “forever” with your chosen partner. She also took note of the fact that most of the couples present already have children. This was followed by a reminder that the ultimate purpose of marriage is to raise a family. And in order to properly raise a family, the parents must ensure that their children have access to their basic rights.
After giving advice to the couples, Mayor Alice proceeded to the wedding rites. The couples exchanged their vows with their Principal Sponsors as witness to their promise for each other. This was followed by the exchange of rings, and of course, the much awaited moment, which is the first kiss of the pairs as married couples.
Philippine Statistics Authority representative, Mr. Allan Bruno, gave the couples and organizers a heartwarming message and also praised the event by saying that the venue was beautifully designed. And as the contract signing was proceeding, Ms. Haidee Gunio, our Local Civil Registrar, reminded the newly wedded couples to legitimize all children conceived during the couple’s time as unmarried partners. This is to assure that the children will not have any problems when it comes to their personal documents.
The ceremony was concluded with a photo opportunity with Mayor Alice Pizarro after the couples’ and witnesses’ signing of the contract.