Bride wades down flooded aisle to her groom as Typhoon Wipha hits the Philippines
A Filipino couple has tied the knot in a flooded church in the midst of Typhoon Wipha.
As heavy rain lashed the country, the Barasoain church in the Bulacan province flooded.
But bride Jamaica Aguilar and her groom Jade Rick Verdillo were determined to wed, despite the weather.
As more than 80,000 people sheltered in emergency centres across the Philippines following floods, landslides and tidal surges, the couple waded down the aisle in knee-deep water.
Jamaica's wedding train flowed behind her through the muddy water.
'It's just a test," groom Jade Rick Verdillo said.
"Before we got married, we were in this relationship for ten years. We have been through a lot.
"This is just one of the struggles that we've overcome.'
The couple said they knew there was a risk their wedding would be flooded out, but decided to push through anyway, with some guests still able to make the ceremony.
The mother of the groom travelled for 12 hours to attend.
Wedding guest Jiggo Santos said it was "an extraordinary wedding".
'You will see love prevailed because even against weather, storm, rains, floods, the wedding continued,' he said.
At least three people have died in the Philippines after monsoon rains caused widespread flooding and downed trees.
Many government offices and schools in the Philippines remain closed, and residents from several villages have been evacuated.
Wipha was classified as a typhoon when it made landfall in parts of China, Hong Kong and the Philippines, but was downgraded to a tropical storm before reaching Vietnam on Tuesday night.
In Vietnam, one person was killed, and there were widespread power outages as the storm hit the northern part of the country.
Flights were cancelled and airports closed during the worst of the heavy rain and winds.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Why couples in the Philippines keep getting married in flooded churches
It was a scene you'd expect to see at any Aguilar walked down the aisle, clutching her father's arm, dressed in a white gown and cathedral-length veil worthy of the baroque-style church she was for the fact that she, as well as all her guests, were almost knee-deep in water: the church was completely flooded due to heavy rains brought in by both a seasonal monsoon and a typhoon. But the couple didn't let that stop them - saying it was "challenging, but we focused on what's important".The scenes from the Barasoain Church north of the Philippine capital Manila soon went viral on social media and made the rounds as another example of Filipino resilience in the face of amazingly, this wasn't the first time something like this had occurred. Two years ago, another Filipino couple walked down the flooded aisle of the same church, at the same time of the year. And in 2018, a couple tied the knot at a flooded church in Bulacan province, just north of Manila. The submerged weddings aren't just a tale of determination - they are the latest example of a festering flood problem that continues to bring misery to millions, a problem exacerbated by decaying sewage systems, poor urban planning, and extreme weather events that are growing more intense and frequent. Altars and antibiotics For the 27-year-old bride, the hardest part of the wedding was the night before, when she was deciding whether or not to go ahead with the ceremony. The wedding planners had warned them that the rains would get worse."It was the most critical time for us — should we cancel and reschedule it? It was 50/50 for me — I was considering cancelling," she told the in the end they decided to press on."It was challenging but we focused on what's really important – our relationship and the people who love us," 27-year-old groom Jade Rick Verdillo said, adding that they were both "overjoyed" after the of the first things they did as husband and wife was to take doxycycline pills from their local health an antibiotic to prevent flood-borne diseases such as leptospirosis, which attacks the liver. And just hours after the wedding, the still flooded Barasoain church hosted a funeral, where a white casket was placed on stilts at the foot of the altar. Typhoon Wipha, known locally as Crising, is the third storm the Philippines has seen this year. The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to tropical cyclones, due to its location on the Pacific Ocean where such weather systems form. About 20 tropical cyclones form in that region every year, half of which impact the country people have been reportedly killed since the rains started last weekend, while tens of thousands have been there appears to be no respite from the stormy weather as two more cyclones are predicted to develop or enter the Philippines later this month. Historically, the strongest and deadliest storms hit towards the end of the year, just before deluge comes days ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's annual State of the Nation Address to Congress next Monday, which will be closely watched for his plans to address the perennial the height of torrential rains earlier this week, Marcos suspended preparations for his speech after photos of government personnel putting up his portraits on Manila lamp posts went viral and stoked anger said government resources should be focused on disaster response, rather than preparations for a political who is in Washington to negotiate a trade deal with US President Donald Trump, said he had ensured the preparedness of disaster response agencies before he left the country. Why do floods keep happening? Much of the flooding has been concentrated in Metro Manila, which is home to more than 13 million is one of the world's most densely populated mega cities and its rubbish disposal is a major challenge. Uncollected and improperly disposed waste pollutes waterways and clogs drain floods are caused by Metro Manila's "very old" and "inadequate" sewage system, according to Manuel Bonoan, Marcos' public works minister. It dates back to the early system is also 70% silted or clogged after over a century of use, Mr Bonoan told news outlet ABS-CBN Mahar Lagmay, a geologist at the University of the Philippines and an expert in disaster response, said on social media that the floods were in part caused by roads built over natural the flood problem would need to take into account several factors, including the tides on Manila Bay, potential storm surges, and the possible failure of nearby dams, Dr Lagmay said in an earlier opinion piece. But Mr Bonoan says a master plan to tackle the floods is being put together with help from the World Bank, adding that Manila has allocated billions of pesos to the problem. One immediate solution involves repairing 32 water pumping stations in the capital to reduce the strain on the drainage system, he said."We have to sit down once and for all, at the soonest possible time, to find a solution," he newly wed Mr Verdillo thinks it is a problem that can one day be solved, so couples no longer have to wade through waters to get to the altar. "We have seas and rivers here in the Philippines, so we have so much water. The government should invest in flood gates, pumping stations and wider canals," he said."Improvements cannot be done in a day, but could be done in years... I'm positive about it, as long as we all focus on the mitigation."
The Independent
15 hours ago
- The Independent
Philippines couple refuse to let flooded church dampen wedding day
A couple in the Phillipines were determined to walk down the aisle on their wedding day — even if it meant wading through a flooded one. Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar tied the knot at the Barasoain church in Malolos, Bulacan province, which was inundated with water due to heavy rain on Tuesday (22 July). Typhoon Whipa had intensified seasonal monsoon rains in the Philippines, bringing widespread flooding. On deciding to push through despite the flooding, Verdillo said: "Before we got married, we were in this relationship for 10 years. We have been through a lot. This is just one of the struggles that we've overcome.'
ITV News
16 hours ago
- ITV News
Bride wades down flooded aisle to her groom as Typhoon Wipha hits the Philippines
Watch bride Jamaica Aguilar and groom Jade Rick Verdillo marry in a flooded church during Typhoon Wipha. A Filipino couple has tied the knot in a flooded church in the midst of Typhoon Wipha. As heavy rain lashed the country, the Barasoain church in the Bulacan province flooded. But bride Jamaica Aguilar and her groom Jade Rick Verdillo were determined to wed, despite the weather. As more than 80,000 people sheltered in emergency centres across the Philippines following floods, landslides and tidal surges, the couple waded down the aisle in knee-deep water. Jamaica's wedding train flowed behind her through the muddy water. 'It's just a test," groom Jade Rick Verdillo said. "Before we got married, we were in this relationship for ten years. We have been through a lot. "This is just one of the struggles that we've overcome.' The couple said they knew there was a risk their wedding would be flooded out, but decided to push through anyway, with some guests still able to make the ceremony. The mother of the groom travelled for 12 hours to attend. Wedding guest Jiggo Santos said it was "an extraordinary wedding". 'You will see love prevailed because even against weather, storm, rains, floods, the wedding continued,' he said. At least three people have died in the Philippines after monsoon rains caused widespread flooding and downed trees. Many government offices and schools in the Philippines remain closed, and residents from several villages have been evacuated. Wipha was classified as a typhoon when it made landfall in parts of China, Hong Kong and the Philippines, but was downgraded to a tropical storm before reaching Vietnam on Tuesday night. In Vietnam, one person was killed, and there were widespread power outages as the storm hit the northern part of the country. Flights were cancelled and airports closed during the worst of the heavy rain and winds.
