COUNCIL WAIVES FEES FOR MARRIAGE LICENSE, OTHER DOCS FOR MASS WEDDING

Around 80 couples who will be tying the knot during the 12th Cebu City Mass Wedding Activity on Sept. 25 will need not worry about the legal fees for their wedding. The Cebu City Council last week approved a resolution waiving the marriage application form and license fee, and pre-marriage and counseling fee to all participants of the activity. The approved resolution, filed by Councilor Margarita Osmeña, also asked the City Legal Office to waive the affidavits and notarization needed by participating couples. A program of the City Wom- en and Family Affairs Commission (CCWFAC), the mass wedding is held every fourth week of September in line with the celebration of the Family Week. The CCWFAC annually selects up to 80 couples from 80 barangays to receive assistance from the City Government to legalize and to solemnize their union through a church wedding. For this year, the mass wedding ceremony will be held at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. Qualified couples will be required to attend a marriage seminar and pre-marriage counseling that will be conducted by the office of the City Civil Registrar and the City Health Department. They will also have to secure joint affidavits and affidavits of cohabitation, among others. “Couples who sign up for the mass wedding are our less fortunate constituents who could not afford to pay,” reads a portion of the approved resolution.