• THERESA MAE DULMAN
A mendicant couple who has spent 25 years building a family on the streets of Bacolod City will finally exchange vows this Valentine’s Day.
Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) program coordinator of the Bacolod Mendicancy Management Division, Anjanette Servano, confirmed the couple has been officially registered among the 202 pairs for the Bacolod mass wedding.
The ceremony, which will be officiated by Mayor Greg Gasataya, is set to take place at the Bacolod City College Gymnasium.
Beyond the wedding, DSSD will assist the couple in processing their enrollment into the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Pag-Abot Program.
The national initiative, institutionalized under Executive Order No. 52, is designed to reach out to individuals and families in street situations to provide a “pathway off the streets.”
The program offers a holistic package of interventions, including emergency financial aid, medical assistance, and transportation for those returning to their home provinces.
It will serve as support for the couple’s transition as they prepare to reunite with their family in Cauayan, Negros Occidental.*
