Love month is the best excuse to share the love you have for your partner with the rest of the world. That shared joy is inexplicably sweeter among the LGBTQIA+ community. This pre-Valentine’s weekend, the Quezon City government held a beautiful commitment ceremony for 222 LGBTQIA+ couples. If that’s not enough to get you emotional, Vice Ganda also made a big announcement this weekend that had us screaming, “Love wins!” Through a vlog posted on Feb. 13, they revealed that they got married to Ion Perez in October 2021.
Hours before dropping the vlog, Vice posted a teaser that reads: “It’s about time we share with you what really happened in Las Vegas last Oct. 19, 2021.” The photo of Perez giving Vice a forehead kiss while they wore matching white clued us in, but we didn’t expect how much it would move us.
The video starts off with the pair being silly in their hotel room as they get ready for their big day. They share laughs on the car ride to the famed Little Vegas Chapel. Then, as the Vice walks down the aisle, the waterworks start.
“Buong-buo ’yung loob ko na makasama ka. Wala akong masabi basta mahal na mahal kita, Tuy. I love you,” Perez said in his vow.
As expected from one of the most prolific hosts in the country, Vice didn’t hold back for theirs. “Ang saya-saya ko na ikaw ang kasama ko ngayon, ikaw ’yung kasama ko kahapon, at ikaw ’yung alam kong makakasama ko pa rin bukas at sa mga susunod pang mga araw,” they said. “I promise na mag-iipon pa ako ng maraming-maraming pagmamahal sa puso ko para makaya ko pang mahalin ’yung sarili ko, makaya ko pang mahalin ka at pati ’yung mga mahal natin sa buhay.”
“I promise na aalagaan ko ang sarili ko. Kakain ako sa tamang oras para hindi ka na magagalit. Aalagaan ko ’yung kalusugan ko para maging malakas ako, para mapanindigan pa natin itong sinimulan nating dalawa. I promise na iisipin ko ’yung katawan ko, ’yung health ko. Kasi alam ko ’pag may sakit ako, nalulungkot ka,” they added. “Every day, I will try to be a better person. Every day, I will try to be a kinder person. At lahat ng gagawin ko sa buhay ko, isa ka sa magiging inspirasyon ko.”
In a world where it takes an amount of effort to be kinder to yourself and others, promising to do just that for the person that you love is just so romantic. After saying their vows, they exchanged wedding rings and signed their certificate of commitment.
The couple has come a long way. In the past, there were allegations that Perez was merely after Vice’s money. But he has proved to naysayers that his love for the nonbinary comedian is real. In fact, they’ve been preparing for the next chapter in their married life long before they made the announcement. Last November, the couple shared on “It’s Showtime” that they plan on having a baby together.
In a country where legalizing LGBTQIA+ unions and marriages is still seen as up for debate, Vice and Perez’s love story gives us hope. And to politicians who think that Vegas-style weddings are bad for preserving the marvel of marriages, maybe focus on providing marriage equality for Filipinos first.
Photo screen grabbed from the “What Really Happened In Las Vegas” video
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