40 couples marry in mass wedding

CEBU, Philippines - At least 40 pairs of unwed couples yesterday exchanged marriage vows during a mass wedding ceremony at Sto. Niño Parish Church in barangay Mohon, Talisay City.

The free marriage is an annual activity to help legitimize the status of live-in couples, said Councilor Eduardo R. Gullas III, who heads the committee on Women, Children, and Family. 

Gullas, despite being single, reminded the couples to keep their vows.

He also challenged them to love each other.

Many of the couples have been living together for years, he said, adding that it is the intent of the city to erase the stigma of being illegitimate, especially those children of indigent parents, and allow them to grow normally and establish their legal rights as legitimate offsprings. 

Meanwhile, the city government of Naga will also sponsor on September 2 a free mass wedding for all indigent couples who have been living for years without the benefit of marriage.

Interested couples are advised to secure a marriage license at the City Local Civil Registrar (LCR) office and submit a barangay-issued certificate of indigency and baptismal certificate.

Payment or fees for application for marriage and other documentary requirements have been dispensed with for the convenience of unwed couples.

The city’s third free mass wedding, one of the major pre-6th City Charter Day Anniversary events on June 5, will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Parish Church at exactly 10 a.m.  (FREEMAN)