10 Pinoy couples exchange vows in Dubai mass wedding rite ahead of Valentine’s Day

At least 10 Filipino couples working in the United Arab Emirates were wed in a mass civil rite on Thursday at the Philippine Consulate in Dubai.

Two days before Valentine's Day, the couples exchanged "I dos" in front of witnesses and got their marriage certificates at the consulate, Gulf News reported.

“We hold mass weddings at the consulate every Thursday because it would be time-consuming and difficult to wed them individually,” said consul general Frank Cimafranca.

Cimafranca said as many as 10 to 15 Filipinos get married at the consulate every week.

He said consulate officials like him are authorized by law to officiate these marriages.

"For those who prefer to have it done at a church, by an imam, or at Dubai courts, they only send us the papers to have them registered,” he said.

As for the couples, they said the mass wedding rite was a “faster and easier way to cut on costs and other preparations needed to get married at a church in the UAE.”

Maria Rona Balleser, who manages applications received by the consulate, said one reason many Filipinos seek a civil marriage in Dubai is because getting the marriage certificate is faster.

Balleser said that since they are UAE residents and their vacation times are short, "it makes more sense to get their marriages done here, as they will not have the time to secure their marriage license within a one-month period when visiting the Philippines.”

Also, she said they can qualify for marriage within 15 days in the UAE if there are no legal impediments.

She added civil marriages are a viable option if the couples are from different Christian sects or when they want to have a Church wedding in the Philippines.

Thursday's new couples received gift vouchers from sponsors. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vietnam condemns China's 'brutal behavior' in fisher attack ---- Agence France-Presse

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam's foreign ministry condemned on Wednesday China's "brutal behavior" during a violent attack on Vietnamese fishers in the disputed South China Sea. The 10 fishermen were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars' worth of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands -- an archipelago in the resource-rich waterway claimed by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. Vietnam "resolutely protests the brutal behavior of Chinese law enforcement forces against Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessels operating in the Hoang Sa archipelago of Vietnam", foreign ministry spokesperson Vietnam Pham Thu Hang said in a statement, using the Vietnamese term for the Paracel Islands. "The above actions of Chinese law enforcement forces seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty" over the archipelago, the statement said. Four of the Vietnamese crew were taken to hospital on Monday
Read more

Africa roads are world’s deadliest despite few cars ---- AFP

ADDIS ABABA: Africa has the fewest roads and cars of any region, and yet the largest ratio of vehicle deaths, caused by the usual suspects — unsafe habits, speeding and drinking — but also poor infrastructure, scant rescuers and old cars. As everywhere, speed, alcohol and not wearing a seat belt or helmet are among the main causes of death and injury, say experts. But in Africa, where there are 620 traffic deaths every day, these problems are compounded by bad roads, outdated vehicles, minimal prosecutions and a shortage of emergency services. A recent World Health Organization report found that Africa surpassed the rest of the world, including Southeast Asia — which recorded the most road deaths — with a record ratio of 19.5 people killed per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021. Home to only around four percent of the world’s automobiles, Africa accounted for 19 percent of road deaths last year. “What is worrying is the upward trend in Africa,” said Jean Todt, a former head of the Internati
Read more

Russia captures town after 2 years of Ukrainian resistance --- Reuters

Russian forces now control 98.5% of Luhansk, 60% of Donetsk MOSCOW: Russian troops on Wednesday took charge of the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, a bastion that had resisted intense attacks since Russia launched its full-scale assault in 2022. The advance of Moscow's forces, which control just under a fifth of Ukraine, has underlined Russia's vast superiority in men and materiel as Ukraine pleads for more weapons from the Western allies that have been supporting it. Ukraine's eastern military command said it had ordered a pullback from the hilltop coal mining town to avoid encirclement by Russian troops and "preserve personnel and military equipment". The Russian defense ministry did not mention Vuhledar in its daily battlefield report. Russian Telegram channels, however, published video of troops waving the Russian tricolor flag over shattered buildings. The town, which had a population of over 14,000 before the war, has been devastated, with Soviet-era
Read more