Edwin Josue and Jerry Sibal wed after 23 years together

By Cristina DC Pastor

Bakit labis kitang mahal, pangalawa sa Maykapal
Higit sa ‘king buhay.

Through a dozen of their favorite love songs, real estate professional Edwin Josue and events designer Jerry Sibal walked family and friends through an intimate journey of how they met 23 years ago and eventually married.

At their May 28 “union” ceremony held in the Fifth Avenue apartment of CEO and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis, the life partners bared how two lonely souls met in New York, shared almost a lifetime together, prospered professionally, and have now decided to make their love known to all.

Confessed Jerry, “We are a subdued couple, we tried to deny it in the beginning.”

True.

Not a lot of community folks knew they are a couple. If they did, how they met is a story shared only with a few devoted friends.

Jerry, 57, and Edwin, 60, are no Cameron Tucker and Mitchell Pritchett. In the rare community events where they are seen together, there are no flamboyant displays of affection, except for the beaming smile that Edwin always gives Jerry whenever he speaks of his art or his latest project. Both have always appeared somewhat detached, utterly dignified.

Love bloomed 23 years ago when Jerry came to New York after suffering a series of setbacks in the Philippines. He was a victim of carnapping twice! Looking to change the course of his misfortunes, he packed his bags, and came to the U.S. leaving his businesses behind. He had only $300 in his pocket, and knew that would not last very long.

“By Day 2, I was broke,” shared Jerry before his guests of about 30 people that included Eleanor de Leon, the wife of Consul General Mario de Leon Jr., and former Imelda Marcos’s secretary, the controversial Vilma Bautista.

Jerry called an old friend, a former student from the Ayala Museum, and implored he needed a place to stay for about a month until he could find a job. This friend introduced him to a real estate agent named Edwin, who has been in New York since the 1980s.

“At the time,” joked Jerry, “he was called Edward.”

“He didn’t judge me,” his storytelling continued. “He raised me from darkness.”

It did not take long before the two began to share an apartment at first, a love “before the face of God” not too long after that. As Jerry opened up, “We were just two people who were lonely.”

Jerry found work as a floral designer for Preston Bailey, a top events planning company in Manhattan, which eventually paved the way for his employment visa.

There would be arguments, no doubt. But Edwin and Jerry make sure those irritants are resolved before the end of the day. Jerry conceded that if the arguments persisted, it was because “I am stubborn…Artist kasi.”

Edwin’s turn to speak came. When he came to New York, he said he was prepared to endure a quiet life nurtured through prayer and meditation being a student of Oriental spirituality. Still, he had hoped to one day find someone to share a life with.

“Rarely did I know that God will give Jerry to me,” he said.

Together, they grew as a couple. They did well in their careers, traveled the world, met important people, bought a Park Avenue apartment, and generally enjoyed life with the friends who accepted them and did not judge. Edwin is a licensed associate real estate broker for Halstead Property, a top realty company in Manhattan.

Jerry decided to go solo with his Jerry Sibal Design Fusion company after Preston Bailey. He designed events, corporate charities, bar mitzvahs, and became even more sought-after for his destination weddings. He traveled to places such as Qatar and the Dominican Republic, and Edwin would sometimes join him to assist and ease the stress of the job.

“It was Edwin who made me spiritual,” Jerry said.

More good fortune is in the cards. In April, Jerry was named Design, Development and Floral Director for Wynn Palace Cotai in Macau. His role is to design the casino ballrooms in Steve Wynn’s latest hotel complex in Asia.

I see trees of green, red roses, too,
I see them bloom, for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

This will be the first time the couple will be separated for a long period of time. For now, Jerry’s new job brings untold excitement. Edwin talked about a travel-filled future, paid vacations to Macau and Jerry’s occasional visits to New York.

On May 27, a week before Jerry leaves for further training in Vegas, they got married in City Hall. It was a swift civil ceremony witnessed by a small party of immediate family. The reception was held at a Chinese restaurant.

“The Peking duck was our bouquet!” Edwin quipped to The FilAm. We laughed heartily. He showed me his wedding ring, but I was looking at the bliss in his eyes.

The crackle of laughter and whispery affections filled the music room of the Lewis home as uniformed staff served champagne throughout an emotion-filled evening.

Lewis, a good friend of Edwin and Jerry, is confident they will make the long-distance marriage work.

“This is a couple who are giving, patient, and kind to each other,” she said. “There is generous love between them.”

The songs rendered during the ceremony were performed by the cast of “Noli me Tangere,” billed as the first Filipino opera staged in New York. Loida Nicolas Lewis was the producer and Jerry Sibal the set and costume designer.