by: Claro A. Lanipa
Pagadian City, Feb. 1 (PIA) – Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 682, signed by then President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino on January 28, 1991, the month of February is being declared as “Civil Registration Month.”
Relative to the celebration, the city government will again sponsor a “Kasalan ng Bayan 2012’” or mass wedding on February 14, 2012 at the city’s gymnasium.
Local Civil Registrar Leonardo Acorda disclosed that as of yesterday, January 31, a total of 108 couple-applicants were registered for the said mass wedding. He said, prior to the Kasalan ng Bayan applicants are required to attend a one-day seminar as pre-requisite to acquire their marriage license.
He said, these couple-applicants falls under the so called Article 34, which means that they have been living together for at least five (5) years but not legally married. Interested applicants still have until 5 pm of Friday, February 3 to register, Acorda added.
Meanwhile, last Friday of the month of February is also declared as “Free Issuance of Civil Registry Documents and Authentication,” this event involves the issuance of birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates and authentication of the different civil registry documents, for free, Acorda said.
Acorda urge the people of Pagadian to take advantage of these two big events in celebration of the civil registration month.
Moreover, for an effective implementation of the civil registration, local governments units, the church, different government and non-government organizations are encouraged to work hand-in-hand with the Local Civil Registrars to make this endeavor a fruitful one.