Not funny, AFP says of couple’s Libingan ng mga Bayani shots

Maybe they wanted to convey that the act of getting married was heroic… who knows?

A soon-to-be-wed couple has drawn the ire of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for conducting a “wacky” prenuptials photo shoot at the Libingan ng mga Bayani that spread on social networking sites and online forums this week.

AFP spokesperson Commodore Miguel Rodriguez said the couple, identified only as Ruskin and Priscilla, trivialized the resting place of the country’s heroes by striking wacky poses, stepping on and prancing around the white crosses marking the graves of unknown soldiers who died in World War II.

Rodriguez said the Army Support Command (Ascom), which oversees the cemetery in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, had been ordered to find out how the couple were able to hold the photo shoot.

“I’m sure they’re going to do a good job of it (investigation). We’re looking at improving the system. We’re not looking for fault,” said Rodriguez who is also AFP deputy chief of staff for civil military operations.

He said many soldiers and their families were angered by the disrespect shown by the couple for the nation’s heroes.

The photos reportedly taken by East Digital Studio have since been taken down from its web site.

“They violated the sacredness of the place. Respect for the dead is a traditional value. I feel sad. Weren’t we told that if you sat on a cross you would be hit by lightning?” Rodriguez said.

“We want to find out how it happened… so these things will not happen again,” he added.

One photo showed the groom-to-be hugging a cross and laughing. Another showed the bride-to-be laughing while sitting on a cross beam and holding up a wine glass in front of liquor bottles.

Another photo showed the couple cross-dressed and standing among the graves. Yet another showed the groom in drag attempting a ballet split over a cross.

Rodriguez said that while anyone can visit the Libingan ng mga Bayani it being a public place, “the problem is they transgressed propriety and decency.”

He said it was “the first time we know of” that people took wacky photos using the grave markers as props.

“Let the investigation take place. The Army has been directed to look into that. If the Army finds it offensive it will file proper charges,” he said.

He said the next time there is a request to hold a photo shoot at the Libingan, “we will have a soldier follow them around. If it’s a professional photo shoot anybody can watch.”