They thought "green" on a red-letter day. Up to 285 couples said "I do's" and then planted mangrove saplings in a Valentine's Day mass wedding held at a coastal area in Puerto Princesa City yesterday. Officiated by Palawan Bishop Pedro Arigo, the services held in Barangay San Jose were sponsored by the city government in line with its annual mangrove reforestation festival. The couples, mostly low-income residents, took the opportunity to get married without having to spend a centavo. They just had to plant mangroves on-site in return.

285 pairs wed, plant mangrove sampling. (2010, February 15). Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A8.