BAGUIO CITY– The City Government through the Office of the City Social Welfare and Development (OCSWDO) will sponsor a mass civil wedding on Sept. 22, 10 a.m. at SM City Baguio.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan and city social welfare and development officer Betty Fangasan enjoined couples planning to marry and those living in with or without children to participate in the matrimonial rites to be held in line with the Family Month celebration.
The mayor will preside over the wedding ceremonies while city officials will act as sponsors.
Fangasan said the mass wedding is an institutionalized activity of the City Government as part of its social responsibility through helping unwed couples legalize their union without having to spend so much.
The requirements include birth certificates, certificate of no marriage (CENOMAR) from the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA); attendance to the Pre-Marriage Counseling at the Health Services Office at T. Alonzo St. with schedules every Tuesday, 1-5 p.m. and every Thursday at 8 a.m. to 12 noon; and tree planting certificates from the City Environment and Parkas Management Office (CEPMO) at City Hall (application must be done at least two days from the preferred tree planting schedule of either Monday or Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.).
Applicants aged 18-20 years should submit parents’ consent while those aged 21-24 years, parents’ advice.
Couples living in for more than five years must secure an Affidavit of Cohabitation from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) or any legal officer in place of a marriage contract. They should be more than 25 years of age and must secure community tax certificates from the City Treasury Office.
The marriage contract or affidavit of cohabitation must be submitted to the City Social Welfare and Development Office, Upper Session Road not later than September 7.
For further information and inquiries, contact the CSWDO at telephone numbers 442-3842 or 442-7893. **Aileen P. Refuerzo
