TACLOBAN CITY– The city government here has set the last week of this month as the deadline for registration for those who wanted to avail of the free civil mass wedding program in the city.

Tacloban City Civil Registrar Imelda Roa said the city government will sponsor the mass wedding on November 17, 2022.

About 50 couples are expected to join the mass wedding ceremony which will be solemnized by Mayor Alfred Romualdez at the Pacific Point Events Place and Resort in the city.

“The initiative seeks to legitimize the union of indigent unwed couples, minimize the number of illegitimate children and establish a strong foundation of couple and family life,” the City Information Office (CIO) said.

To register, the following documents have to be submitted to the City Civil Registrar Office (CCRO): a birth certificate (or baptismal certificate) of the couple; if widowed, a copy of the death certificate of the spouse is needed; a Certificate of No Marriage (Cenomar); and an affidavit of cohabitation (from a lawyer).

The couple will also need to have two witnesses, according to CIO.

Citing the Family Code, the city government said that interested couples must be of legal age and have a child who is at least five years old.

Before the mass wedding, the couples will also attend a pre-marriage seminar, which will be conducted by the CCRO.

The registrants are advised to visit CCRO or CCRO Tacloban Facebook page for further information. (RONALD O. REYES)