It’s 7 o’clock in the morning, and far from the usual quietude one has learned to expect in the Municipal Hall grounds, one can hear the blaring sounds of love songs permeating the atmosphere.

On one side of the grassy lawn fronting the SB Office, white flimsy strips of cloth were being hung by five women atop one of two reddish brown cement arches.  Fronting this scene are two men arranging plastic chairs, forming a semi circle around the arch.

Underneath the arch, two tables have been set, one in front of the other.  At the back of the higher table, one of the stately chairs borrowed from the SB Session Hall was set; while the other table had a wooden seat for two behind it.

Half an hour later, people clad in semi-formal attire begin to arrive, and are ushered to the chairs.  They await what has now become a typical civil wedding day at the Laoac Municipal Hall.

This ceremony is a brainchild of the Town Father, Honorable Mayor Silverio Alarci,o, Jr.  “I want our Laoac weddings to be special, more memorable.  I want it also to be symbolic of a lot of things that we stand for…such as caring for our environment.”

And so it is that, instead of the usual wedding ceremonies previously held at the munisipyo,   Laoac now has what is akin to a garden wedding.  And, over and above the romantic ambiance, two other things set it apart:  the pair of bakya upon each of which is written the name of the bride and the groom; and, the pair of mahogany seedlings from the Mayor’s own nursery which is his gift to the newlyweds.

“The bakya is an enduring industry in Laoac.  It has been here even when I was still a little kid.   It is symbolic of our wish that, like the bakya, the weddings we administer at Laoac will also stand the test of time . . . that their love for each other will endure.”

“Dati, malaki ang bakya na ibinibigay naming. . . over a foot long.  Kaso naisipan naming na baka gamitin ng mag-asawa na pamukpok pag nag-away, kaya niliitan na namin,” the Mayor jokingly adds while pointing to the 5 or so inches long pair of native Lawakenian bakya.

“Tinawag din naming itong “Ma-tree-mony”because, after the official wedding ceremony, we ask the newlyweds to plant a tree on a previously dug hole within the Municipal Hall grounds”.

“There are actually two trees”, the Mayor continues.  “We ask the newlyweds to plant the remaining tree in their place of residence.  In time, when they have kids, the father can point to the tree in their yard and tell their child, ‘Anak, may kakambal ang puno na yan.  Nasa munisipyo ng Laoac.  Dun kasi kami kinasal ng mama mo. Maganda ang konsepto di ba? Mas may meaning.”, the Mayor seriously adds.

Local forester Marvi Valenzuela adds that “‘MA-TREE-MONY’, is actually part of a bigger program: the “100,000 TREES: A MILESTONE FOR A GREENER FUTURE” which involves planting 100,000 trees over a three-year term.    This is our local community effort to help mitigate the effects of global warming.”

Indeed, governance is difficult, especially for a 4th Class Municipality such as Laoac.  Yet, with creative and innovative minds, and with a token amount of money, what is typical can be improved and made into a wholly meaningful affair, such as the civil weddings that are done in Laoac.

“It’s heartwarming, really to see that the people, especially our brides and grooms have no qualms about doing the tree-planting thing.  Even if the bride is clad in a traje de boda and the groom in matching Barong Tagalog, they will just up and grab the shovel and plant the tree, even under the searing heat of the morning sun.  I marvel at their spirit . . . such is the Lawakenian spirit, and I will always be proud of that,” the visionary Mayor finishes.