No less than 522 couples will be married today at the BAYS Center in Bacolod City, with Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia solemnizing the rites.

Most of the couples to be wed have already been living together for years. That is why, Leonardia said, the project theme, "Our Love Affair", is more meaningful, since the ceremony falls on Valentine's Day.

This year's mass wedding, the biggest recorded in Bacolod City, is being held by the City Civil Registrar's Office as part of the observance of the Civil Registrar Month, February, Evelyn Legapina, City Civil registrar said yesterday.

She said last year's mass wedding was participated in by 375 couples, while in 1995 there were only 351. The oldest couple who will exchange marriage vows before the Mayor at 10 a.m. today are Melchor Natial, 65, and Hermilinda Barabat, 49, both of Brgy. Tangub, while the youngest are Ronald Almajo, 18, and Ann Rica Casilagan, 19, both of Brgy. Handumanan.

The couple with the most number of children are Joel San Jose, 43, and Vergelia Emperado, 36, of Brgy. 2. They have 10 children.

"This is one of the most significant projects that the city government has undertaken, because we are formalizing and blessing the most basic unit of our society, which is the family," Leonardia said.

The committee created by the Mayor has also prepared some gifts to be raffled among the couples today.

Vice Mayor Renecito Novero will give an inspirational message during the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Legaspina said that, aside from the mass wedding every Valentine's day, there are also mass weddings in the different barangays in the city, usually held during fiestas.

She said the mass weddings are held for free.

Records from the Civil Registrar's Office show that the total number of marriages in the city in 2004 was 4,523. This went down to 4,100 in 2005 and 4,030 in 2006.*CGS

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