Postwedding honeymoon no more for man held by cops

COTABATO CITY—The honeymoon could have come before but definitely not after the wedding for Rodel Estoque, 33, who is facing an attempted murder case.

Estoque was arrested by police on Saturday, just minutes after he married his longtime partner, Rosalyn, at a Catholic church in the town of Sto. Niño, South Cotabato province.

When police from the regional public safety battalion served the warrant of arrest for Estoque, the newly married man did not resist arrest, according to Rosalyn.

Estoque and his new wife were busy having their pictures taken outside the church when the policemen came.

Rosalyn said she begged the lawmen to serve the arrest warrant after the wedding reception but her request was turned down.

“After the church ceremonies, we were supposed to have a reception at home but everything was canceled,” said Rosalyn, sounding angry in an interview with a radio station in Koronadal City.

Rosalyn instead accompanied her husband to the Sto. Niño police station. Both were still in their wedding attire.

Delia Estoque, the groom’s mother, said the case for which her son was arrested happened in 2009 when her son tried to defend her against an assailant at the family home in the town of Norala, also in South Cotabato. Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao