Wedding vows for 18 policemen on Valentine’s

VALENTINE’S Day was made more memorable yesterday for 18 policemen and their partners  after they exchanged “I do’s” in a mass wedding spearheaded by the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7).

The ceremony was held at the St. Ignatius Chapel in the police camp with a reception at the  quadrangle.

While the couples were previously married in civil rites,  they were unable to avail of the sacrament of matrimony in Catholic rites until yesterday.

SPO4 Rex Ibañez, deputy chief of the Lapu-Lapu Police Station 3, and wife Bibsy had the longest union in the batch with  13 years of marriage and four children.  The kids were present in the ceremony. A daughter was busy taking photos of their parents.

PO2 Nelson Pantoja and PO3 Josephyl Pantoja will be celebrating their  sixth anniversary as couple next month.

Josephyl, 31, said she was both tense and excited while waiting to  walk down the aisle in her white wedding gown.

Nelson, 31, of the Danao City police station said  they joined the mass wedding to have their union   blessed.

Supt. Jaime Cereña III, PRO-7 chaplain, in his homily reminded the couples that marriage is sacred.

“It is a gift that comes from God. It should be nurtured. Marriage will not survive if you will not cling to God,” Cereña said.

At the reception, PRO-7 director Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo gave cash gifts to the newly-weds.

Meanwhile, taxis were  checked for fake franchises and overcharging in  “Oplan I Love You” of the Land Transporation Franchising and Regulatory Franchising Board in Region 7.

Teams inspected more than 10 motels in Cebu City and gave leaflets  to the l management with hotline numbers for  the LTFRB  to report  unscrupulous taxi drivers./CORRESPONDENTS CHITO O. ARAGON AND RHEA RUTH V. ROSELL