The Philippine government has urged the public to consider postponing their wedding ceremonies for at least a month or at least limit their number of guests to attend amid rising concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.
This was advised by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez following President Duterte’s imposition of a community quarantine starting Sunday, March 15, which discourages mass gatherings in observance of “social distancing.”
Trade Secretary Lopez added that couples have the right to be refunded for services they have already booked and paid for. If not, couples can file a complaint to the DTI hotline 1384.
“Timeless and boundless naman ang pag-ibig (Love is timeless and boundless anyway). What is a one-month postponement for love?” Secretary Nograles said.
(ALSO READ: LOOK: Sarah Lahbati Announces Update on Wedding with Richard Gutierrez)
Among those who had to postpone their wedding, in light of the community quarantine, are celebrity couple Sarah Lahbati and Richard Gutierrez who were scheduled to wed on March 14, Saturday. According to a leaked photo of their invitation, the couple had listed down 50 high-profile guests as their principal sponsors while celebrity friends make up their respective entourage and secondary sponsors.
“As much as we want to celebrate our love with our family and friends, in light of the recent situation we have decided to postpone our wedding as we do not want to put anyone at risk,” they said. “Thank you so much to those who flew in and to everyone who worked so hard for our special day. We only wish good health for everyone and we hope to celebrate with you as soon as things get better.”
(ALSO READ: Here are the Guidelines for ‘Stringent Social Distancing’ to Address Spread of COVID-19 in the PH)
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