A beautiful Muslim wedding

It is not very often that I am invited to a traditional Muslim wedding. One such occasion was the wedding of Farah Locsin and Nasser “JR” Pangandaman. The entire wedding party was a festival of colors with the sound of the kulintang and dancers adding more feasts for the senses. The ladies from Lanao were elegantly attired in their jewel-colored traditional wear, while the ladies from Manila dug deep into their wardrobe to find conservative, modest attire in keeping with the Muslim rites.

Farah and JR met three years ago with some Doubting Thomases thinking this relationship would not last given the couple’s diverse backgrounds. But love conquers all and the couple married recently at the Taal Vista Lodge in scenic Tagaytay. The celebration was also a political gathering, given that the father of the groom, Nassser and his son Hussein, are both congressmen. Farah, on the other hand, is the executive assistant of Senator Serge Osmeña, and prior to this stint, worked with former Senator Dick Gordon. Both gentlemen were wedding sponsors, together with high- powered politicians that included Vice President Jejomar Binay, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Senators Bong Revilla, Tito Sotto and everyone’s favorite boxing champ Congressman Manny Paquiao. Although not a showbiz affair, Manny Paquiao and Bong Revilla were literally mobbed by the guests for photo ops.

In a Muslim wedding ceremony, the groom marries the father of the bride, who transfers all his love, care and responsibility for his daughter to the groom. Since Farah’s father (Diego Locsin) passed away six years ago, JR “married” her brother, Boj Locsin. Once this formality was completed, the groom went to “search” for his bride in the holding room where all the female members of the bride’s family were waiting with her. When JR arrived in the enclosed room, in accordance with tradition, a cash offering was made to the bridesmaids to allow him to enter the room, where he performed the batal, touching Farah’s forehead with his thumb and thus consummating the marriage.

I have no doubt that Poveda alumna Farah and JR, a product of Jesuit and La Salle schools, will have an enduring marriage as love will sustain them.

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The innovative and brand new Diamond Hotel’s The Cake Club, brings all-day dining to a higher level of creativity at Bonifacio High Street in Taguig. It is the perfect place to go to for their scrumptious desserts and Royce chocolates or for those who want to keep a trim figure, there are light, healthy snacks, too. The best part is that the hotel is headed by females — from the president Cecile Ang to its general manger Vanessa Ledesma Suatengco to the director of sales Sunshine Robles and public relations head Melanie S. Pallorina — the best example of woman power in the Philippines.

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For comments and suggestions, e-mail jacinto.fa@gmail.com.