It looked like a typical wedding scene: a glowing bride in white, a historic church, and a proud father walking his daughter down the aisle.
But there was one major difference.
Everyone from the bride to the guests was knee-deep in floodwater.
💧 The Barasoain Church in Bulacan, just north of Manila, was completely submerged after days of relentless rainfall. A combination of typhoon and monsoon rains turned the iconic Baroque-style cathedral into a shallow lake. Still, 27-year-old bride Jamaica Aguilar and groom Jade Rick Verdillo didn’t back down.
“It was challenging, but we focused on what’s really important – our relationship and the people who love us,” said the groom.
🌀 Not the First Time and Likely Not the Last
Believe it or not, this isn’t a one-off story.
Two years ago, another couple tied the knot in the same flooded church also during monsoon season. And back in 2018, a wedding in nearby Bulacan took place under similarly soggy conditions.
So why do couples keep going through with weddings despite the floodwaters?
It’s partly about Filipino resilience, a cultural value praised in global media time and again. But more than that, it reveals a bigger crisis one that has persisted for decades: chronic, worsening urban flooding.
💔 Beyond Romance: A System Drowning in Problems
For many couples, the toughest part isn’t wading through water in a gown or tux it’s making the decision to continue at all. The night before the wedding, the couple seriously considered canceling.
“It was 50/50 for me,” Jamaica admitted. “The planners warned us the rain would worsen.”
Ultimately, they pressed on. But after exchanging vows, their first act as husband and wife wasn’t cutting cake it was swallowing doxycycline, an antibiotic used to prevent leptospirosis, a potentially deadly flood-borne disease.
📸 Weddings and Funerals in the Same Flooded Church
A few hours after the wedding, the same church hosted a funeral. The white casket stood on stilts at the altar a haunting contrast that reflects the tragic duality of life in flood-prone areas: celebration and sorrow in the same soaked space.
The rains were brought by Typhoon Wipha, locally known as Crising, the third storm to hit the Philippines this year. And more are expected.
🌧 Why the Floods Won’t Stop
- Old, clogged drainage systems (dating back to the 1900s!)
- Poor urban planning roads are built over natural waterways
- Garbage-choked canals and ineffective waste management
- Climate change bringing stronger, more frequent storms
Metro Manila, home to over 13 million people, floods constantly. Here’s why:
According to Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, the capital’s sewage system is over 70% silted. That means water has nowhere to go.
Disaster expert Dr. Mahar Lagmay says true flood solutions need to consider tides, dams, waterways, and rising sea levels not just drainage pipes.
🛠 What’s Being Done?
Bonoan says a new master flood plan is in progress with help from the World Bank. Immediate efforts include repairing 32 major pumping stations across Manila.
But many Filipinos feel that action comes too slowly.
Ironically, during the worst flooding last week, government workers were spotted putting up portraits of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. across the capital not sandbags. The images sparked online backlash as critics accused the government of focusing on image over emergency response.
💬 “We Have So Much Water – Why Can’t We Manage It?”
Newlywed Jade Rick Verdillo put it best:
“We have seas and rivers here in the Philippines. The government should invest in flood gates, pumping stations, and wider canals. Improvements can’t happen in a day, but they can be done over the years. I’m hopeful as long as we focus on solutions.”
💡 Final Thoughts
Getting married in a flooded church might seem unusual. But in the Philippines, it’s become a symbol of love, resilience, and frustration all rolled into one.
Until long-term flood solutions are put in place, these soaked ceremonies may continue reminding us all of what Filipinos value most, even in the toughest times: faith, family, and the will to push forward.
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