Registered marriages up 48.2% – PSA

MANILA, Philippines — Registered marriages in the country rose 48.2 percent in 2021 amid the easing of pandemic-induced restrictions, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Data released by the PSA yesterday showed a total of 356,839 marriages were registered in 2021, higher than the 240,775 in 2020.

“This increase may have been brought about by the easing of quarantine measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the lowest marriages registered over the past 50 years as recorded in 2020,” the PSA said.

PSA said the data on registered marriages was obtained from local government units and does not include marriages of Filipinos abroad.

Among the different regions, Calabarzon recorded the highest number of registered marriages with 50,211 or 14.1 percent of total marriages.

Meanwhile, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao had the lowest number of registered marriages with 2,337 or 0.7 percent of the total in the country.

Most of the marriages in 2021 took place in December, with the number at 52,788 or 14.8 percent. On the other hand, August had the least number of registered marriages in 2021 at 17,710 or five percent of total.

The PSA said the median age of those who got married in 2021 was 27 years old for women and 29 years old for men, the same as in 2020.

Of the total registered marriages in 2021, 98.6 percent or 351,869 were between Filipino men and women, and only 1.3 percent or 4,787 were between Filipinos and foreign nationals.

Most of the intermarriages in the country in 2021 were between Filipino and American nationals with the number at 1,164 or 24.3 percent of the total. This was followed by marriages involving Filipino and Chinese nationals at 14.9 percent.

The PSA also said couples still preferred to be married in a civil ceremony as this accounted for 141,183 marriages or 39.6 percent of the total in 2021.

Those officiated in the Roman Catholic Church reached 114,660 or 32.1 percent, while 94,146 or 26.4 percent were performed in other religious rites.

Marriages solemnized in Muslim traditions accounted for 1.1 percent of the total registered marriages, while 0.9 percent were performed in tribal ceremonies.

Free V-Day rides

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is offering free bus rides today and has allocated two of its buses to ferry passengers from selected pickup and drop-off points.

For its “Libreng Sakay” project, the Coast Guard buses would be plying the PITX (Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange)-Monumento route from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

From 10 a.m. to noon, the PCG buses will transport passengers from the Light Rail Transit 2-Antipolo Station, Metro Rail Transit 3-Shaw Boulevard Station, Philippine National Railways Tutuban Station and PITX Entrance No. 2.

The PCG will also be giving 250 roses/Valentine’s Day gifts in each of the four stations, with passengers being serenaded by the PCG Combo.

Spend V-Day at home

Caritas Manila executive director Fr. Anton Pascual yesterday said couples with a tight budget this Valentine’s Day should just spend the entire day inside their room and “reminisce their love for each other.”

Pascual said that with the high cost of commodities nowadays, people should be wise in spending their hard-earned money, even during special occasions such as Valentine’s Day.

Aside from spending lavishly for flowers, chocolates and dinners at restaurants, couples could spend quality time with each other on heart’s day.

“The couple can do these things prudently to celebrate Valentines: the couple can stay in their room for 24 hours reminiscing their love for each other and celebrate it” and order food delivery online, Pascual said.

They could also spend the day at home, enjoy home-cooked meals and binge watch television series or movies.

But couples could also enjoy time outside of their home and not worry about the expense. They could enjoy walks around their neighborhood, or they could go to church and have a priest bless their marriage.

Echoing Pascual’s sentiment, Archdiocese of Manila spokesperson Fr. Reginald Malicdem said, “Love should not be expensive. In fact, true love goes beyond what money can buy.”

He added, “There are many other creative ways of showing love. Being present to the person you love is one. You can say you love a person without being present to him/her. That is how God showed his love for us, by sending Jesus to be Emmanuel, the God-with-us.”

Even doing small acts of kindness and praying for others are considered manifestations of love, he added.

Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Public Affairs Committee (CBCP-PAC), also believed that showing one’s love need not be a burden to one’s pocket.

“There are so many tangible expressions of love without spending too much for your beloved,” said Secillano.

He suggested a traditional way of spending Valentine’s Day. A couple could hear mass together and exchange love letters.

“Couples can go to mass together and there they can renew or profess their love for each other. They can write to each other (the old way) and make expressions and assurances of love,” the CBCP official said.

But he also reminded that people could show their love to others even if it is not Valentine’s Day.

“But what is truly essential is the everyday expressions of love in word and deed even if it’s not Valentine’s Day,” Secillano added.

Meanwhile, President Marcos thanked the Philippine media on board the presidential plane, en route to Manila from Japan, for reminding him of the occasion.

“Good thing you reminded me. I have to do something,” Marcos said.

“Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day again. Wow, time flies. Oh, gosh. Do I have any plans? I do now,” the President said. – Evelyn Macairan, Helen Flores