At least 250 unwed couples in Caloocan City formalized their union during a mass wedding last week sponsored by the local government.
Mayor Enrico Echiverri, who officiated the wedding ceremony at the Camarin Elementary School, said the activity enabled the couples to legalize their relationship without incurring any expenses.
“We all know how expensive it is to get married nowadays. A simple wedding could cost around P100,000,” he said, adding that because of the prohibitive costs of marriage, many couples decide to just live together out of wedlock.
Luchi Flores, local civil registry department chief and president of the Philippine Association of Civil Registrars, that in Caloocan City, government-sponsored mass weddings are done twice a year.
Echiverri and his wife, Puri, stood as principal sponsors in the mass wedding and gave each newlywed couple a gift. – Pete Laude