From wedding to wading: This Filipino couple got married in a submerged church; here's why

Time of India

3 days ago

Just like a traditional wedding, this Filipino wedding had everything, a white dress, proud parents, church and guests ready to witness it all.
But what set this wedding apart was that the couple exchanged vows while standing in nearly knee-deep floodwaters.
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In the north of capital city Manila, Jamaica Aguilar walked down the aisle of the 19th-century Barasoain Church in Bulacan, on Sunday, arm-in-arm with her father and draped in a cathedral-length veil. But instead of a red carpet, she waded through murky water brought in by heavy monsoon rains and Typhoon Wipha, known locally as Crising.
Despite the submerged altar, she and her groom, Jade Rick Verdillo, carried on. "It was challenging," said the 27-year-old groom, "but we focused on what's really important – our relationship and the people who love us."
Their decision to proceed struck a chord online, with video clips of the flooded ceremony quickly going viral, praised by many as yet another example of Filipino resilience.
Though strange, this was not the first wedding of its kind, as two years ago, another couple walked down the same aisle, at the same time of the year.
But why are these couples are choosing to get married midst floodwaters instead of a red carpet and floor to welcome them?
Behind weddings like this one, lies a deeper issue, chronic flooding made worse by decades of poor urban planning, crumbling drainage systems, and increasingly severe weather patterns.
Barasoain Church itself is no stranger to such scenes, similar waterlogged weddings were held in 2022 and 2018.
For Aguilar, the toughest moment was the night before the wedding. "It was 50/50 for me — I was considering cancelling," she told BBC.
In the end, the couple pushed ahead, and celebrated their union with a dose of doxycycline, an antibiotic given by the local clinic to prevent waterborne infections such as leptospirosis.
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Later that day, the still-flooded church hosted a funeral. The white coffin, perched on wooden stilts, stood as a quiet reminder of the storm's wider toll.
Typhoon Wipha is the third storm to hit the Philippines this year, already claiming six lives and displacing tens of thousands. And the rainy season is far from over, two more tropical systems are forecast to hit the country in the coming weeks. Historically, the most powerful typhoons arrive near the year's end.
The situation has also placed fresh pressure on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who is set to deliver his annual State of the Nation Address next week. Critics have slammed his administration's priorities after images of workers installing presidential banners in a flooded Manila sparked backlash.
Marcos, currently in Washington for trade talks with US President Donald Trump, has defended his decision to travel, saying he left disaster agencies fully prepared.
Metro Manila, home to over 13 million people, bears the brunt of the flooding. Its sewage network, dating back to the early 1900s, is ageing, overburdened and 70% clogged with silt, according to public works secretary Manuel Bonoan, cited by BBC.
Experts like geologist Dr Mahar Lagmay have pointed to unregulated construction and roads built over natural waterways as further aggravating the problem. He argues that effective flood control must consider Manila Bay's tides, storm surges, and dam safety.
The government says a master plan, drawn up with support from the World Bank, is in the works. In the short term, officials aim to refurbish 32 pumping stations across the capital.
"We have to sit down once and for all, at the soonest possible time, to find a solution," said Mr Bonoan.
Newlywed Verdillo agrees, and hopes future couples won't have to walk down a flooded aisle like he did.
'Improvements cannot be done in a day, but could be done in years... I'm positive about it, as long as we all focus on the mitigation.'