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Batangas gov, wife tell all on whirlwind romance amid 48-year age gap

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Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3033151"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script></div><p>BATANGAS CITY — Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas on Thursday said holding his wedding reception in front of the provincial capitol was designed to be a showcase of Batangueño pride, underscoring that the provincial council even formally authorized the use of the public space for the private function.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/8/batangas-governor-mandanas-weds-lawyer-nearly-50-years-his-junior-2209" id="isPasted">Batangas governor Mandanas weds lawyer nearly 50 years his junior</a></div><p>In April, members of the Batangas provincial council passed Resolution No. 578, where the panel unanimously agreed to “offer the use of the capitol grounds” for the governor’s wedding “provided no government funds will be used during the occasion.”</p><p>“Ang lalawigan ng Batangas, ang lagi naming ipinagmamalaki, mawala na ang aming yaman, wag lang ang aming yabang. &#x27;Yan talaga ang spirit ng mga taga-Batangas,” Mandanas told ABS-CBN News a day after his wedding.</p><p>(In Batangas, we always say we can lose all our riches, but not our pride. That is really the spirit of Batangueños.)</p><p>“We care very much about our pride. About our dignity. We are proud as a province… always showing, raising the standard,” he said.</p><p>“I happen to be the governor and I happen to have the responsibility of promoting the image, dignity, highest standard of the province. I wanted to show how beautiful how capitol is,” he added.</p><p>The original plan was to have between 130 and 150 guests, said Angelica Chua-Mandanas, the governor’s new wife.</p><p>“I’m very careful. I know ang mga tao may masasabi about it but sinabi ko rin na sana &#x27;yung tipong hindi mababash or anything,” she said.</p><p>(I’m very careful. I know that people will have something to say about it, but I also said I want a wedding that will not be bashed or anything.)</p><style type="text/css" id="isPasted">
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</style><p>After a few dates, the 32-year-old lawyer figured that the governor’s qualities outweigh their nearly 5 decade age gap.</p><p>“Ito yung ideal person ko except the age gap… If &#x27;yun lang &#x27;yung titingnan natin, parang napakababaw naman natin,” she said.</p><p>“Bakit namin gagawing issue &#x27;yung age gap? Wala naman kaming legal impediment,” she said.</p><p>“Sabi ko if it’s just the age, ifo-forego ko ;yung sasabihin ng tao. Basta ang importante okay kami, okay &#x27;yung family ko, okay yung friends ko. I know maiiba yung mundo ko but because of this love, I hope it can sustain everything.”</p><p>(He is my ideal person except for the age gap. But we are very shallow if that will be the lone basis. Why should we make age gap an issue? We don’t have any legal impediment. I said if it’s just the age, I will forego other people’s opinions. What’s important to me is we’re okay, my family is okay, my friends are okay. I know my world will change but I hope this love can sustain everything.)</p><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-2&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1788213364948345023&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Anews-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-05-10T01%3A27%3A18.647953%3Af5b97567-3a38-479d-af9a-329f0f8a6339%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=22b44d53ef5e99ef94178b6dd5133dd1d5dc2929&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:560px;height:310px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1788213364948345023"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><div><strong>TOO FAST, TOO SOON?</strong></div><p>After less than 3 months of dating, the couple tied the knot at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Batangas.</p><p>It was Mandanas’ second wedding. His first wife, former Anakalusugan party-list nominee Regina Reyes, died in 2022.</p><p>Asked why the wedding was done so soon, Mandanas said: “In life, you need daring… Sabi nga (As they say) no risk, no glory. No pain, no gain.”</p><p>“Bakit si (Why pick) Angelica? Why not? Bakit madali (Why was it too fast)? Why not? So in my life, that has been my attitude so to speak. Why not?” he said.</p><p>“If you made a mistake, fine. You carry the consequences.”</p><p>Chua-Mandanas said she agreed to marry the governor because she “knew from the start that his intentions were genuine.”</p><p>“I believe na when you know, you know,” she said.</p><p>“Kung nakilala nila kami, kung nakita nila &#x27;yung love story namin… They would know it is true love.”</p><p>(If they know us, if they saw our love story… They would know it is true love.)</p><div><strong>PRE-NUPTIAL AGREEMENT</strong></div><p>The couple confirmed that they signed a pre-nuptial agreement, which indicates that their only conjugal properties would be assets that they would acquire after their union.</p><p>“We wanna make sure on how the material goods will be distributed,” Mandanas said.</p><p>“She’s a partner in a firm. As a matter of fact, their family is richer than our family,” he said.</p><p>The governor — who has been vocal about his desire to have children — said that this newlywed bliss as well as raising their family is not expected to distract him from his work and his career in politics.</p><p>“Being married, having children is not an all an impediment or something that would weaken one’s desire to serve the people,” he said.</p><p>“I do not believe that politics is incompatible with the objective of marriage. It should not be,” he said.</p><p>The octogenarian governor said he prayed that their marriage would endure all tests that would come their way.</p><p>“I just prayed about it… if this is the right person,” he said.</p><p>“It’s very easy to make a decision to have a girlfriend, to get married… to get the real kind of love, dasal ang kailangan mo (prayers are what you need), everyday,” he said.</p><p>“You cannot sustain it if you don’t pray.”</p><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3033069"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script></div>

<p>Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas on Thursday said holding his wedding reception in front of the provincial capitol was designed to be a showcase of Batangueño pride, underscoring that the provincial council even formally authorized the use of the public space for the private function.</p>

Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas on Thursday said holding his wedding reception in front of the provincial capitol was designed to be a showcase of Batangueño pride, underscoring that the provincial council even formally authorized the use of the public space for the private function.

'Baka wala kang Valentine': Batangas gov, wife tell all on whirlwind romance amid 48-year age gap

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'Baka wala kang Valentine': Batangas gov, wife tell all on whirlwind romance amid 48-year age gap

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 10, 2024 09:14 AM PHT

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Updated May 10, 2024 10:32 AM PHT

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