Love, floods, and nationhood at Barasoain

Last July 22, while most of Luzon braced for yet another round of flooding, a couple in Malolos chose to walk through rising waters—not to evacuate, but to get married.

- IGNACIO R. BUNYE

Inside the historic Barasoain Church, Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar stood ankle-deep in floodwater to exchange vows, surrounded by guests who waded barefoot between pews. Their altar was not adorned with extravagance, but with sheer will and quiet defiance.

The photos from that day graced front pages across Metro Manila and reached as far as the Asian Wall Street Journal. It’s easy to see why: the visual juxtaposition of ceremony and calamity, of lace trailing in murky water, of smiling flower girls with wet feet, told a story so uniquely ours. One that doesn’t need translation.

But this was more than a viral moment. It was a mirror.