The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance providing for the Golden Anniversary Wedding incentive in the city.
Under the ordinance authored by Councilor Leandro B. Yangot, Jr., the incentive shall be availed by residents who had been living in the city at least 10 years.
Further, those who are qualified to avail of this incentive are couples who have been married, irregardless of celebration, and must be considered a valid marriage under Philippine laws or Sharia law and registered with the local civil registry of the city and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA); the valid marriage must have existed for 50 years from the time of registration of the same; for Muslim and tribal polygamous marriage, only the married registered with the local civil registry or Sharia circuit court will be granted the said incentive and prior to the grant of the said incentives, there must be no finding that the couple is separated.
The ordinance claimed that to avail of the incentive under the measure, married couples must submit to the City Social Welfare and Development Office the PSA copy of marriage certificate or certificate of no marriage (CENOMAR), barangay certification of marriage stating that the couple had been married and living together as husband and wife; one valid government issued identification card and notarized certificate of undertaking that there are no pending cases filed for annulment by either of the spouses for marriages solemnized under Philippine law.
For marriages solemnized by the Sharia law and other polygamous marriages, aside from the barangay certification, one valid government issued identification card and notarized certificate of undertaking that there are no pending cases filed for annulment by either of the spouses, marriage must be solemnized under the Muslim rites; registered with the local civil registry of the city; must be registered with the PSA and if the person is married to more than one spouse, the reward should be divided equally among those who are entitled to avail of the said incentive.
The ordinance tasked the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) in coordination with the local civil registry to prepare a set of guidelines to effectively implement the proposed measure.
The ordinance disclosed that the incentive for couples celebrating their golden wedding anniversary is P50,000 subject to the availability of funds from the local government. The incentive shall be charged against the city’s gender and equality and development fund or from any available fund source.
According to the proposal, in this modern era, it is quite rare to witness married couples reaching 50 years or more, thus, the ordinance would encourage married couples to observe long lasting loyalty and fidelity of marital relationship since a healthy family relationship among married couples is needed in the attainment of a peaceful, happy and progressive community thereby supporting the smallest unit of the society.
Moreover, the measure stated that giving monetary incentive and due recognition to married couples, particularly those reaching 50 years of happy marriage is an inspiration to young or starting families so as to maintain strong, loving, forgiving and harmonious relationships notwithstanding the many challenges married life may bring. – Baguio City Public Information Office
