MANILA Mayor Alfredo S. Lim yesterday celebrated his Valentine’s Day with 110 couples whom he officially joined in marriage in simple ceremonies held at the Palma Hall of the City College of Manila.

In officiating the wedding dubbed ‘Kasalang Bayan, Handog ni Mayor Alfredo Lim’, the mayor called on the couples to always find a way to settle differences and weather all kinds of storm that will come their way.

Those who stood as principal sponsors were led by Councilors Josie Siscar and Lou Veloso. The other sponsors were chairmen from the city’s various districts, namely Irene Rillo, Thelma Lim, Guia Castro, Sally Dy, Ligaya Santos, Silvestre Dumagat, Ben Calalo and Bal Billanes, who have all been tasked by Lim to deliver to the concerned couples’ homes their certificates of marriage once they have been processed by the office of the civil registry headed by Encarnacion Ocampo.

“’Di na kayo kailangang magpunta sa city hall para kumuha ng kopya ng inyong marriage certificate dahil ang mga chairman na mismo ang magdadala sa bahay n’yo,” Lim said, amid cheers from the newly-weds who thanked the mayor for another savings on their part since they no longer have to spend on transportation in going to city hall.

Lim enjoined the couples to always respect and love each other and not to let their marriage go to waste, noting that some of them were either already pregnant or have a number of children.

He also called on the husbands to make sure that they drop all vices such as drinking and gambling and instead focus on making their wives happy.

Ocampo said the eldest couple who were married by the mayor yesterday were Jose Jaca and Carolina Ibañez, aged 73 and 68, respectively.

The two, according to Ocampo, have been living together since 1966 and already have seven children, the eldest being a 44-year old son and the youngest a 33-year-old woman.

She also said that the couples come from the six districts of the city and have availed of the mass wedding being offered by the city government for indigent couples who want to avail of matrimony but cannot afford the costs of such sacrament.

According to Ocampo, the mayor has ordered that the processing and the pertinent documents be given for free to the said couples as what is always done during such mass weddings.

Lim has also standing orders for the office of Ocampo to fully assist the couples availing of the free mass wedding, in terms of complying with all the requirements such as birth certificates and certificates of no marriage.

Those interested, Ocampo said, are enjoined to coordinate either with their respective barangays or councilors, or directly contact her office in city hall, without having to pay anything.