{
  "id": 4868975,
  "title": "Philippine couple weds in hip-deep floodwaters after refusing to postpone",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/philippine-couple-weds-in-hip-deep-floodwaters-after-refusing-to",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T13:29:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/philippines/philippine-couple-weds-in-hip-deep-floodwaters-after-refusing-to-postpone-1.500659588"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Philippine couple made headlines on Tuesday as they exchanged vows in a flooded Catholic church, refusing to postpone their wedding despite the treacherous conditions. Clad in white, Leian Lieza Galang gingerly waded into the ankle-deep floodwaters of the Saint John the Baptist church in Hagonoy town, north of Manila, to marry Gilbert Chico. The groom, Gilbert Chico, told AFP that the couple were fully dressed uniformly, and the sight of their gown and coat getting soaked did not bother them. The parish priest officiated the brief ceremony, and wedding photographer Mikko Rey Alfonso declared the newlyweds husband and wife. The church had been partially underwater for nearly a month due to upstream floodwaters, but both the couple and the parish agreed to go ahead with the wedding. Leian Galang, a Filipina actress, and Gilbert Chico, a rigger working in the Middle East, decided to proceed with the wedding after the parish informed them of the rising floodwaters. The couple's special day was attended by fewer than 15 people, and the wedding was held in an otherwise empty church adorned with plastic flower bouquets. The bride's wedding gown had to be altered to shorten the train to accommodate the floodwaters that reached up to her waist. The wedding was originally scheduled for December, but Chico's ankle injury forced him to return home early, allowing him to hold the wedding before his return to work. Both the couple and the parish parishioners expressed their determination to make the wedding a memorable occasion despite the challenging circumstances.",
  "summary": "Manila: A Philippine couple tied the knot on Tuesday at a Catholic church swamped in hip-deep waters, as heavy rains have pummelled large parts of the country for a month. Clutching a bouquet of white blooms and clad in an off-shoulder white gown, Leian Lieza Galang gingerly waded into the murky brown floodwaters inside the Saint John the Baptist church in Hagonoy town, north of Manila, to wed…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Citizen",
        "title": "Philippine couple married in hip-deep floodwaters",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/philippine-couple-married-in-hip-deep-floodwaters-4863436",
        "published": "2026-09-01T12:44:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}