Story and Photos by E.H. EDEJER | February 14, 2026

BOTOLAN, Zambales — Despite a 50-year age gap, a couple chose to be together. And for keeps.

On Thursday, February 12, Wilfredo “Willie” Balangon and Merlyn Basa were among the 71 couples who tied the knot during a mass wedding ceremony sponsored by the local government and officiated by Mayor Jun Omar Ebdane here—finally taking the plunge to legalize their five-year union that has already bore them two kids.

At 71, Willie was the oldest to get married that day. And Merlyn, at 21, was among the youngest. But this May-December love affair seemed to prove that age didn’t really matter in a romantic relationship.

It was love at first sight for Willie the moment he saw the 16-year-old Merlyn in 2020.

“Nakita ko s’ya sa bahay nila; nagkatinginan kami, at doon na nagsimula (I saw her in their house, and we locked eyes for a moment, and that’s when it all began),” Willie recalled. “Pero sa mga magulang muna n’ya ako nagpaalam kung p’wede bang dumalaw, at sabi nila ay p’wede naman (But I asked her parents first if I could visit, and they said it’s okay).”

At that time, Willie was already a widower but had no children. Schooled in agriculture, he was operating a nursery near the Bucao River here in Botolan all by himself. Merlyn, on the other hand, lived with her family at Sitio Itanglew in Brgy. San Rafael, San Marcelino town, a good 50 kilometers away.

“Sa puso ko, at sa Panginoon, alam kong kailangan kong magka-anak (Deep in my heart, and as God commanded, I knew that I had to have children),” Willie said. “Kailangan ko rin ng kasama sa buhay sa pagtanda ko (I also needed someone to be with as I grow old).”

He told Merlyn and her parents so, and got encouraging nods from all parties: “No problem, if our daughter is willing,” the parents said. “If my parents are not against it, maybe I would agree,” came Merlyn’s answer.

So, Willie began courting the teenager. “Pabalik-balik ako sa kanila,” Willie recalled his trips back and forth to visit his lady love.

On his third visit, Merlyn gave him her “yes.” “So, jowa na kami,” he said with a laugh, using the common slang for “sweetheart.”

Merlyn recalled that it was in November 2020 when the whirlwind courtship began. Then by January of 2021, the two started living together as a couple. Three months later, she was pregnant with their first child, Wilmer. In 2022, another one was born, a daughter this time, whom they named Wendy.

“Gusto n’yang magka-baby kami agad, kaya nasundan kaagad pagkatapos ng isang taon (He wanted to have a baby soonest, so another one followed right after one year),” she ribbed him during the interview.

“Nag-aapura ako, kasi gusto kong makilala pa ako ng mga anak ko (Yes, I was in a hurry because I wanted my children to still know about me),” explained Willie, citing his age. “Pero, tama na ang dalawa; mahirap magpalaki ng maraming anak (But, two is enough for me; it’s hard to raise so many children).”

Willie said his relationship with Merlyn has made life a blessing. Aside from giving him the children he had longed for, he believed his wife brought him luck in finances, too, citing a recent windfall they received when the NGCP built three power transmission towers on his upland property nearby.

“Swerte talaga s’ya sa akin (She really brings me good fortune),” Willie said of Merlyn.

Last Thursday, right after the mass wedding ceremony, the newly-weds threw a small wedding feast for relatives and friends at their home beside the nursery—complete with lechon and loud rental music.

It was, for Willie and Merlyn, a fitting celebration of a not-so-ordinary love story lived and told. 

COVER PHOTO: Willie and Merlyn share the spotlight with Jerome Dumangas and Jessabel Domulot, both 18 years old, and the youngest couple to be wed during the Feb. 12 mass wedding in Botolan, Zambales.